IN  PREPARATION. 


FLORIDA  ORANGES. 


W.    p.    TALBOYS, 


AUTHOR    OF 


''West  India  Pickles y 


ill  J^I!»!1|i|llll!l!!IIIil!l?ill>i' '"  Jfa; '' 


WEST    INDIA 
PICKLES.    ' 


DIARY  OF  A  CRnSE  TIIROUGII  THE  WEST  INDIES 
IN  THE  YACHT  JOSEPHINE. 

[New  York  Yacht  Club.] 

By   W.    p.   TALBOYS. 


WITH     NUMEROUS    ILLUSTRATLONS. 


^. 


NEW    YORK: 

G.    IV.    Car  let  on  &^   Co.,  Publishers. 

LONDON  :     S.   LO\V,    SON   &  CO. 
MDCCCLXXVI. 


Copyright,  1S75,  bt 
G.    W.     CARLETON    it    CO. 


John  F.  Trow  &  Son, 

Printers  and  Stereotypers, 

205-213  East  \-ztli  Si., 

NEW    YORK. 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

SANTA  BARBARA 


^0 

M.    E.  W.   S., 

ONE    OF    MY    EARLIEST    FRIENDS    IN    AMERICA, 
THESE    PAGES    ARE 

AFFECTIOXA  TEL  Y  INSCRIBED. 


{t^^^W^\^ 


We  left  behind  the  painted  biioy 

That  tosses  at  the  harbor-mouth  ; 
And  madly  danced  our  hearts  with  joy, 

As  fast  we  fleeted  to  the  South  : 
How  fresh  was  every  sight  and  sound 

On  open  main  or  winding  shore  ! 
We  knew  the  merry  world  was  round, 

And  we  might  sail  for  evermore. 

By  peaks  that  flamed,  or,  all  in  shade, 

Gloom'd  the  low  coast  and  quivering  brine 
With  ashy  rains,  that  spreading  made 

Fantastic  plume  or  sable  pine ; 
By  sands  and  steaming  flats,  and  floods 

Of  mighty  mouth,  we  scudded  fast. 
And  hills  and  scarlet-mingled  woods 

Glow'd  for  a  moment  as  we  past. 

O  hundred  shores  of  happy  climes, 

How  swiftly  stream'd  ye  by  the  bark  ! 
At  times  the  whole  sea  burned,  at  times 

With  wakes  of  fire  we  tore  the  dark ; 
At  times  a  carven  craft  would  shoot 

From  havens  hid  in  fairy  bowers. 
With  naked  limbs  and  flowers  and  fruit, 

But  we  nor  paused  for  fruit  nor  flowers." 

Tennyson, 


OOlTTEl^TS. 


?AGB 

Preface 11 

Introduction 15 

Leaving-  New  York 19 

At  Sea 22 

Porto  Rico 31 

Aguadella 33 

Santa  Cruz 41 

St.  Thomas 48 

Saba  Island 56 

Guadaloupe 61 

Basse  Terre 63 

Martinique 67 

St.  Lucia 78 

Barbadoes 81 

Tobago 91 

Trinidad 93 

Port  of  Spain 95 

Pitch  Lake 103 

San  Fernando 107 

South  America 120 

Laguayra 122 

Caracas 133 

Life  in  Caracas 138 


10  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

The  Caribbean  Sea 153 

San  Domingo 152 

Santiago  de  Cuba 155 

Southern  Coast  of  Cuba 173 

Cape  San  Antonio 174 

Havana 175 

Life  in  Havana 183 

Departure  from  Havana 195 

Heavy  Weather 197 

Charleston 201 

Beaufort — a  Storm 204 

End  of  the  Cruise 208 

Farewell 209 


PEEFACE. 


HE  following  pages  pretend  to  no  liter- 
ary merit.  They  are  merely  the  tran- 
script of  a  daily  jotting  down  of  the  scenes 
and  occurrences  of  onr  cruise,  and  were  in- 
tended, not  for  publication,  but  to  serve  as  an 
aid  to  those  pleasures  of  memory  which  are 
truly  the  very  best  part  of  a  traveller's  enjoy- 
ment. 

My  friend,  Mr.  Carleton,  having  waded 
through  the  original  smudgy  pencilled  notes, 
in  an  unguarded  moment  expressed  a  desire 
to  publish  them,  and  I  only  hope  he  will  not 
regret  his  generous  imprudence. 

We  sailed  from  the  harbor  of  New  York  in 
the  first  days  of  November,  and  having  deter- 


12  PREFACE. 


mined  to  visit  as  many  of  the  West  India  Islands 
as  possible,  our  stay  in  each  place  was  neces- 
sarily very  short : — my  notes,  therefore,  have 
no  geographical  or  scientific  statistics — indeed 
I  rather  hope  that  the  gentle  reader  will  favor- 
ably  appreciate  my  abstinence  in  this  respect. 

I  ask  indulgence  for  the  details  and  descrip- 
tions of  the  sailing  and  yachting  part  of  the 
journal,  which  I  have  retained  in  the  hope  that 
they  will  convey  some  information  to  yachts- 
men who  may  visit  those  waters ;  and  also  be- 
cause I  desire  to  record  faithfully  the  admira- 
ble sea-going  qualities  and  behavior  of  the  "  Jo- 
sephine." Although  a  centre-board  schooner, 
she  draws  8  ft.  2  in.,  and  hence  her  great 
steadiness  in  heavy  sea-ways,  as  her  board 
was  practically  little  used,  except  in  smooth 
water.  Her  tomiage  (in  old  measurement)  is 
143  tons,  and  her  length  95-|-  feet  over  all. 
She  carried  a  crew  of  two  mates  and  four  sea- 
men, exclusive  of  the  cook,  mate,  and  steward, 
but  was  entirely  commanded  and  navigated  by 


PREFACE.  13 


her  owner,  and  by  his  admirable  seamanship 
our  comfort  and  enjoyment  were  well  secured. 
A  journal,  after  all,  is  but  a  scrap  of  autobi- 
ography, and  like  Charles  I.,  in  Mr.  Dick's 
Kite,  the  objectionable  pronoun  "I"  will  get 
in,  so  I  make  no  apology  in  this  respect — all  I 
can  say  is, 

"  Vive,  vale — ei  quid  novisti  rectitis  istis," 

"  Candidus  imperii :  si  non,  his  utere  mecum." 


Union  Club,  August^  1875. 


INTRODUCTION. 


T  was  last  sainmer,  while  i^eiitly  heav- 
ing on  the  long  blue  swell,  along  the 
pleasant  shores  of  Massachusetts,  and  off  the 
lovely  harbor  of  Beverley,  we  were  cruising 
about  in  the  little  "Josephine,"  whose  portrait 
adorns  the  frontispiece.  Far  from  the  madding 
crowd,  it  was  bliss  just  to  breathe  the  soft 
Atlantic  air,  and  lazily  watch  the  lieet  of  fish- 
ing schooners  pursuing  the  mackerel.  Xot 
a  word  had    been  spoken  for  an  hour,  when 

suddenly  our  skip])er,  dear  old  L .  beloved 

of  gods  and  men  (also  of  women),  waking  from 
a  long  dream  of  peace,  broke  the  silence  with: 
"Will  you  go  with  me  to  the  West  Indies  in 
her,  for  a  cruise,  next  winter  1 "  To  which  I 
responded :  "  Won't  Vi  Like  a  bird  !  " 

This  was,  perhaps,   a   hasty   decision ;    but 
what  clever  creature  was  it  who  said  :  "Always 


16  INTRODUCTION. 

act  on  3'oiir  first  impulses,  for  tliey  Tnay  be 
good  !  "  And,  indeed,  who  could  stop  to  con- 
sider duties  or  weigh  possibilities,  even  with  the 
duris  itrgens  in  rebus  egestas  forever  gnawing 
at  his  heart,  when  such  a  glorious  prospect  Avas 
suddenly  unfolded  ;  for  this  was  not  to  be  a 
mere  trip  to  the  Cockney  tropics,  such  as  Nassau 
or  Havana  have  become,  but  a  long  cruise 
through  the  Windward  Islands,  a  certain  Odys- 
sean  coasting  of  cape,  promontory,  rock  and  hill ; 
dropping  the  anchor  in  places  of  wdiich  the 
names  alone  stirred  in  one  vague,  spicy  ideas  of 
nodding  palms,  luscious  fruits,  perpetual  ver- 
dure, golden  weather,  "gems  and  gem-like 
eyes  " — all  the  languid,  passionate  fancies  that 
hang  round  the  Tropics,  and  have  a  wild  fasci- 
nation for  those  who  know  them  only  by  hear- 
say. 

But  it  was  not  until  the  tall  golden  rods  had 
burned  themselves  to  death  on  Beverley's 
parched  hill-sides,  and  every  autumn-tinted  leaf 
was  fluttering  down,  that  on  one  auspicious  hazy 

afternoon  L told  us  to  be  ready  to  sail  the 

following  morning.  And  I  was  ready — yet,  with 
every  pulse  beating  with  the  prospect  of  enjoy- 


INTRODUCTION.  17 


ment,  I  felt,  as  Eniersoii  so  cleverly  points  out, 
that  compensations  lie  on  both  sides  of  happi- 
ness, and  it  was  not  without  a  wrench  that  I  said 
good-bj  to  the  kid  who  stood  waving  his  fare- 
wells with  a  big  complimentary  tear  in  each 
blue  eye.  As  I  stepped  into  the  cab  that  was 
to  take  me  to  the  wharf,  I  recognized  that  no 
man  who  leaves  home,  whether  for  pleasure  or 
in  the  pursuit  of  profit,  can  sever,  even  for  a 
few  months,  all  the  silken  fetters  of  his  life 
without  feeling  that  he  must  "  drag  at  each  re- 
move a  lengtheniug  chain." 

The  chain,  however,  seemed  light  and 
WH'apped  in  velvet  when  I  first  caught  sight  of 
the  pretty  schooner,  riding  at  anchor,  bright 
with  fresh  paint — her  white  decks  glittering  in 
the  morning  sun,  her  foretopmast  sent  ashore, 
and  the  mainsail  reduced  from  the  great  racing 
canvas  of  the  summer  cruise,  to  fitting  propor- 
tions, gently  flapping  in  the  light  Indian-sum- 
mer breeze.  A  moment's  bustle,  a  W'Ord  or 
two  here  and  there,  with  the  friends  who  had 
come  to  bid  us  God-speed,  and  we  were  in  tow 
of  a  tug.  Opposite  Fort  Columbus — where  our 
other  sails  being  hoisted,  we  clasped  hands  and 


18 


INTUODUGTION. 


parted  with  a  cheer — one  dear  fellow,  as  he 
stepped  over  the  side  to  the  tug's  deck,  cried 
out,  "  Tal,  keep  a  journal !  "  I  have  done  so 
■ — and  here  it  is. 


THE   JOURNAL. 


Noveinber  ^dh,  1874. — Not  long  after  the  tug 
left  us,  just  half  drifting  down  the  Bay,  we  mus- 
tered in  the  cabin  for  our  first  repast,  L hav- 
ing ordered  lunch  as  quickly  as  possible,  on  the 
principle,  I  fancy,  that  in  England  they  always 
butter  a  cat's  paws  on  bringing  it  to  a  sti'ange 
house :  at  any  rate,  emotii^ns  of  the  mind  are 
very   favorable  to  tlie  appetite.     We  mustered 

five:  L (the  captain),  C and   myself, 

who  had  shipped  for  the  whole  cruise,  and  II ■ 

and  AV ,  who  had  joined  us  for  the  run  to  St. 

Thomas.  The  discussion  of  our  destination  and  a 
little  gentle  scandal  wore  off  the  novelty  of  our 
situation,  and  the  breeze  freshened  a  little;  but 
before  we  reached  Sandy  Hook,  C went  to 


20  THE  LAST  LAND. 


sleep — alas,  he  snored  ! — and  the  wind  instantly 
chans^ed  and  came  out  ahead. 


•&^ 


Novemljer  St/i. — Wind  aliead  all  night,  smooth 
sea,  and  gorgeous  morning.  I  was  wakened  at 
dawn  l)y  the  earhest  pipe  of  half -awakened  birds 
in  the  shape  of  a  horrid  row  made  by  the  live 
ducks  on  deck — wretched  creatures,  upon  whom 
a  future  liver  complaint  is  beginning  to  dawn. 
Tlie  w^ind  remained  ahead,  C having  ad- 
hered to  his  practices  through  the  night ;  but 
at  2  p.M=,  off  Barnegat  Light 

"  We  looked  our  last  on  sa?id  and  plain, 
As  what  we  ne'er  might  see  again," 

L having  tacked  ship,  and  with  a  fine  whole 

sail  breeze  we  head  S.E.  bound  for  St.  Thomas, 
turning  our  backs  upon  the  long  reach  of  sand 
glittering  in  the  sun,  which  I  am  told  is  Bar- 
negat. Everything  hitherto  has  been  delight- 
ful, except  that,  early  this  morning,  the  de- 
mon mal-de-iner  boarded  us,  and  the  young 
and  imaginative  Harry  became  his  first  victim. 
Nobly  he  bears  up,  but  his  eye  is  fishy,  and  very 
sickly  his  smile  ;  reclining  on  deck,  he  steadily 


MAL-DE-MEB. 


21 


refused  cocktails  and  all  consolation,  until,  in 
despair,  he  has  turned  in.     Reguiescat  in  j>ace. 


M^ 


Inconsolable, 


In  the  afternoon,  the  fine  breeze  and  ap- 
proaching diinier  cheer  everybody,  and  the  day 
ends  very  pleasantly.  I  observe,  however,  that 
C plays  bezique  far  t<)0  well  for  private  life. 

3Io)i'Iaf/,  JVovefnberdth. — The  sun  shines  into 
the  cabin  this  morning,  alike  upon  tlie  just  and 
the  unjust,  in  tlic  loveHest  way,  and  the  very  de- 
cided change  in  the  temperature  shows  the  pro- 
gress we  have  made  during  the  night.  Yestei'day 
Ulsters  were  pleasant  on  deck;  this  morning  tubs 
are  in  season.  Just  at  noon,  a  little  cross-bill 
bird  flew  aboai'd,  perclied  on  our  heads,  enjoyed 
a  slight  repast,  took  a  short  nap,  and  after 
most  intimate    conduct  flew  awav  to  leeward. 


22  THE   VOYAGE. 


It  was  quite  a  superstitions  event,  and  indeed 
within  an  honi*  or  two  we  got  into  the  Gulf 
Stream,  with  a  smart  "W.S.W.  breeze  ;  double 
reefed  foresail  and  mainsail,  with  maintopmast 
and  flying  jibboom  both  housed  ;  and  I  venture 
to  say  that  no  yachtsman  can  ever  know  to  what 
extent  a  schooner  can  roll,  pitcli,  jump,  dive 
and  genei-ally  waltz  about,  until  he  has  tried 
the  Gulf  Stream  under  the  same  circumstances. 
Dinner  is  perhaps,  on  board  a  yacht,  the  most 
pleasing  event  in  the  day's  natural  sequence, 
but  to-day  heavy  rain-squalls  and  the  beam- 
endinessof  the  lively  "  Josephine"  make  us  take 
but  a  languid  interest  in  that  repast,  although  her 
behavior   in  a  very  trying   sea   is   gratifying. 

L reads  aloud  from   Maury's  "Theory  of 

Storms  "  that  we  must  expect  heavy  gales  about 
every  six  days  above  N.  latitude  30°.  With  such 
cheerful  tales  do  we  beguile  the  way  !  As  I  turn 
in  I  imagine,  from  the  sounds  that  issue  from 
C 's  berth,  that  we  shall  have  a  change  of  wind. 

Novemher  10. — We  had  a  baddish  night,  but 
the  wind  has  changed  to  a  moderate  N.E.  breeze, 
and  joy  cometh  with  the  morning.     The  sea  is 


ANTICIPATION.  23 

still  verv  heavy  ;  "  all  up  in  haycocks,"  the  mate 
calls  it,  and  the  water  is  of  the  wonderful  blue 
china  color  peculiar  to  the  Gulf  Stream,  and 
great  fields  of  floating  Sargasso  weed  lie  all 
round  us.  The  sun  breaks  through  and  touches 
everything,  including  our  spirits,  with  his  mag- 
ical wand.  The  heat  becomes  really  oj^pressive, 
and  like  the  traveller  in  the  fable  of  the  Wind 
and  the  Sun,  we  recognize  the  power  of    the 

latter.      C -,  down  in  the  cabin,  has  already 

beofun  to  I'ead  about  Creoles  and  dark  Southern 

o 

beauties !  As  I  descend  the  companion-way 
he  asks  me  what  I  should  call  "  expressive  feet 
and  ankles?"  lie  says  he  is  only  reading 
travels,  but  tins  is  a  bad  sign. 

In  the  afternoon  we  pass  out  of  the  eastern 
limit  of  the  Gulf  Sti-eaui  into  smoother  water, 
although  the  masses  of  floating  weed  still  show 
themselves.  About  midnight,  after  making- 
eight  knots  for  hours  under  full  sail,  with  a 
smooth  sea,  the  breeze  fi'eshens,  and  we  roll  and 
pitch  about  in  a  heavy  cross  sea  under  forestay- 
sail,  double  reefed  foresail  and  maintrysail. 

"  Desirdt  injpiscem  mulier formosa  super ne '' 
•  -which  means  that  a  fine  day  ends  very  fishily 


24  VOYAGE  CONTINUED. 

Noveniber  Wtli. — The  head  sea  continues, 
but  the  wind  is  nearer  abeam,  and  the  weather 
is  exquisite.  Of  course  the  decks  are  wet,  and 
the  rolling  and  jumping  goes  on  as  the  wind 
blows  half  a  gale,  but  we  are  under  light  canvas, 
and  the  gentle  Josephine  behaves  like  a  cork 
with  brains.  We  all  show  a  certain  devotion 
to  our  repasts,  but  at  other  times  a  gentle  lan- 
guor pervades,  and  berths  are  silently  sought. 
One  of  the  privileges  of  yachting  is  undoubted- 
ly the  pleasure  of  i-emaining  silent  in  each 
other's  company  without  discomfort,  and  days 
like  these  glide  by  almost  without  incident,  but 
with  a  great  deal  of  re2)ose. 

November  Vltli. — The  sea  has  been  subsid- 
ing all  night,  and  we  have  made  good  way 
under  easy  sail.  I  came  on  deck  to  see  a  most 
magnificent  sunrise.  Our  second  mate,  who  is  a 
typical  Yankee,  clever,  confident,  most  collo- 
quial, and  tlie  possessor  of  strangely  amorphous 
legs,  nodded  his  head  towards  the  resplendent 
horizon,  observing  that  it  was  "  mighty  pooty,"^ 
wdiich  obliged  me  to  admit  that  it  was  a  neat 
thino^  in  sunrises. 


VOYAGE   CONTIXUED.  25 

I  was  amused  too,  on  walking  down  into  the 
cabin  again,  to  ol)serve  all  tliree  of  my  fellow- 
pilgrims  lying  asleep — each  in  his  berth,  also 
)n  liis  back,  and  each  with  his  nose  in  the  air 
at  a  different  angle.  This  adds  an  expression 
of  innocence  to  "the  rapture  of  repose  that's 
there  "  that  may  not  be  all  undeserved.  "  Ma- 
his  jpastor  dorniit  sujnnus''''  is  all  stuff.  The 
afternoon  finds  ns  with  light  bafiliiig  winds 
and  calms,  a  smooth  sea,  and  exquisite  weather, 
in  the  calm  belt  of  Cancer. 


Noveiriber  ISth. — A  smooth  sea,  wind  ahead, 
but  lio^ht  and  refreshino*.  The  mornino-  is  o-or- 
geous,  and  it  is  pleasant  to  be  moving  along, 
although  we  are  four  points  off  our  com^se. 
Decks  are  dry  and  available  for  exercise.  The 
wretched  wave- worn  ducks  and  hens  in  their 
coop,  forward,  salute  the  sun  with  faint  cack- 
lings  and  quackings,  as  they  absorb  their  ma- 
tutinal corn,  shedding  a  fragrance  impossible 
to  describe,  and  almost  impossible  to  bear.  At 
12:30  p.  M.  we  spoke  the  first  vessel  we  have 
seen  since  leaving  Sandy  Hook,  the  barque 
"  Yolunteer,"  bound  for  Xew  York.     She  was 


26  A  MEETING. 


lumbering  along  before  the  wind  at  a  speed  of 
about  three  knots  an  hour  and  it  really  was 
quite  piratical,  the  saucy  way  in  which  our  little 
schooner  danced  down  to  her,  ran  across  her 
bows,  tacked,  and  bore  up  under  her  stern,  and 

L hailed  her  with  a  request  to  report  us.    At 

any  rate,  it  was  an  event  to  break  the  monotony 
of  such  summer  sailing  ;  and  it  is  a  monotony, 
and  beats  lotos  eating.  Wliile  we  hope,  looking 
over  the  blue  expanse, 

"  This  mounting  wave  will  roll  us  shoreward  soon," 

the  languid  air  swoons  all  around  us,  and  it 
would  appear  to  be  always  afternoon  to  us,  only 
that  it  seems  alwa3^s  just  before  dinner,  as  John 
(the  steward)  perpetually  seems  to  be  laying 
the  cloth  for  some  repast  or  other.  Now  let  the 
merciful  trade-winds  breathe  gently  in  our 
favor,  and  we  shall  soon  hope 

"  To  watch  the  crisping  ripples  on  the  beach, 
And  tender  curving  lines  of  creamy  spray." 

November  Wtli. — "  Les  jours  se  suivent  et  ne 
se  ressemhlent  jpasP  Yesterday  was  a  long, 
hot,  languid  day  of  calms  or  light  baffling 
winds  •  but  shortly  after  midnight,  rain-squalls 


TEE  TRADE-WINDS.  27 

and  alarums  ushered  us  into  the  trade-winds, 
and  after  running  before  the  fresh  north-east 
breezo  for  hours,  with  all  sail  set,  and  making 
twelve  knots,  about  noon  down  came  our  kites, 
and  we  took  two  reefs  in  the  mainsail.  This 
is  the  first  day,  since  leaving  Sandy  Hook,  that 
we  have  really  a  fair  wind,  and  now  w^e  have 
got  one  with  a  vengeance.  The  sun  has  devour- 
ed the  clouds  that  have  hid  his  face  all  the 
morning,  and  he  is  giving  wonderful  trans- 
lucent effects  to  the  crests  of  the  great  waves 
that  are  chasing  us. 

8  P.M. — The  great  waves  have  increased  to 
hissing  monsters  that  wish  to  devour  us.  We 
are  in  the  tail  of  a  north-east  gale,  and  are  tear- 
ing along  before  a  succession  of  squalls,  under 
staysail,  close  reefed  foresail,  and  reefed  main- 
trysail — the  mainsail  furled  and  secured  amid- 
ships. The  handy  little  boat  avails  herself  of 
the  opportunity  to  show  her  admirable  qualities, 
skipping  in  the  easiest  manner  up  and  down 
the  watery  mountains.  As  we  sat  round  the 
cabin  table  after  dinner,  a  more  than  usually 
malignant  sea  broke  through  the  skylight  and 
deluged  us,  and  we  scattered  in  the  most  absurd 


28         .  TOTAL  DEPRAVITY. 

and  rapid  manner  to  the  various  lounges.  With 
that  total  depravity  which  distinguishes  inani- 
mate things,  the  water  at  once  sought  and  tilled 
the  chart-drawer  which  stood  invitingly  open, 
and  reduced  those  valuahle  articles  to  a  pulpy 
condition. 

There  is  a  general  tacit  determination  among 
us  to  take  Mr.  Greeley's  advice,  and  move  AYest 
— if  we  es'er  get  back. 

November  \^th.  —  The  ^.E.  gale  blows 
stronger  than  ever,  and  we  really  feel  a  little 
swindled.  We  had  longed  for  the  trade- 
winds,  having  read  tliat  as  soon  as  we  reached 
their  latitudes  a  gentle,  equal  breeze  would  waft 
us  to  our  destination,  under  pleasant  skies,  with 
smooth  seas  and  flying  hsh  playing  about ;  and 
here  we  are,  pitching  about  in  the  heaviest  sea 
I  ever  saw — washed  fore  and  aft  all  the  time, 
with  occasional  visitations  through  the  skylight. 
At  night  it  seems  rougher  still,  and  it  is  a  great 
pleasure  to  see  daylight  again.  A  large  flying 
fish  mistook  his  way  and  flew  on  board.  He 
was  instantly  cooked. 

N'ovember  16th. — Heavy  seas  and  hard  squalls 


CHANGmG   OUR  COURSE.  29 

all  night.  Every  wash  that  broke  into  the 
cabin  would  cause  four  anxious  faces  to  pro- 
trude from  four  uneasy  berths.  At  dawn  the 
sun  rose  in  almost  a  clear  sky  and  the  strength 
of  a  genuine  old-fashioned  gale.  After  tlie 
noon  observations,  we  found  that  we  were  con- 
siderably to  leeward  of  the  Virgin  Pass,  and 
198  miles  from  the  Mona  Pass ;  and  in  view  of 
the  gale,  and  the  necessity  of  heaving  to  and 
riding  it  out  before  we  could  lay  our  course 

for  St.  Thomas,  L proposed  to  run  to  the 

southward  for  Mona  Pass,  so  as  to  get  under  the 
lee  of  Porto  E-ico.  This  will  ease  the  schooner, 
and  the  decision  is  hailed  with  general  applause. 
It  is  acted  upon  at  once,  a  reef  turned  out  of 
the  foresail  and  trysail,  and  we  bowl  along 
merrily  and  much  more  comfortably  in  our  new 
course  S.  by  E. ;  still  the  great  white-maned 
sea-horses  rush  up  astern,  and  menace  us 
from  a  great  height. 

Occasionally  the  wash  from  the  crest  of  a 
wave  wets  somebody's  shirt,  but  the  sun  shines 
out  so  cheerily  over  all,  his  brightness  seems  to 
dispel  half  the  discomforts,  and  to  moderate 
the    natural    anxieties    of     a   landsman.       It 


30  LAND,  HO! 


doesn't  seem  as  if  anything  could  happen 
with  such  a  bright  sunliglit,  and  such  a 
delicious,  soft,  wai^ni  air.  I  can't  help  fancying 
that  the  sailors,  who  in  turn  take  their  trick  at 
the  wheel,  have  an  amused  expression,  as  who 
should  say,  "  /  get  §35  a  month  for  slipping 
about  and  getting  w^et  through — but  where  can 
your  fun  be?"  And  Andrew,  observing  a  sea 
come  over  her  quarter  and  souse  me,  remarked 
with  quite  a  sardonic  grin :  "  I  hope  you  be  a 
enjoying  of  yourself,  sir !  "  But  he  could  not 
shake  my  faith  that  I  was  having  a  good  time. 
By  midnight  the  gale  has  moderated  to  a  good 
breeze,  the  sea  is  smoother,  the  moon  is  up,  and 
we  are  looking  forward  to  the  welcome  sound 
of  "  Land,  ho !  "  to-morrow  mornini 


'to* 


Novemher  Vlth. — The  night  has  been  smooth 
and  agreeable,  and  the  sun  rises  very  warm, 
with  a  moderate  breeze.  The  winter  is  past 
and  gone,  the  time  of  the  singing  birds  is 
come,  and  the  voice  of  the  turtle  ought  to  be 
heard,  as  we  have  seen  several.  At  10  a.m. 
we  welcome  the  cry,  "  Land,  ho  !  "  dead  ahead, 
thirty  miles  away.     It  rises  in  high  misty  hills, 


PORTO  RICO.  31 


like  a  great  cloud  on  the  horizon,  and  is  the 
beautiful  island  of  Porto  Rico.  We  set  the 
mainsail  with  two  reefs,  and  our  valued  friend 
the  trysail  disappears. 

AV^e  recognize  fully  to-day  that  we  are  in  the 
tropics.  The  thermometer  stands  at  8^°  in  the 
companion-way,  and  95°  on  deck,  and  the  flying 
fish  skip  round  us  in  a  livel}^  manner.  As  we 
run  full  before  the  wind,  with  all  sail  made,  the 
sun  beats  down  on  our  heads  as  it  never  -seems 
to  at  home,  even  in  the  dog  days,  and  the  cabin 
is  a  grateful  retreat,  especially  as  it  is  the  home 
of  lemonade  and  other  refreshments.  From 
one  great  purple  roller  to  another  we  rapidly 
approach  the  island,  but  unfortunately  a  bank 
of  heavy  clouds  rests  upon  the  mountain  ranges, 
and  partially  veils  the  great  El  Yunque  ( the 
anvil),  the  highest  peak  of  the  Sierra  Luquillo, 
3,750  feet  high.  lie  is  forty  miles  away,  but  we 
can  make  out  the  broad  square  outline  from 
which  he  is  named.  After  rounding  the 
north-western  point  of  the  island,  we  enter 
Mona  Pass,  which  is  the  strait  dividing  Porto 
Rico  from  San  Domingo.  It  is  sixty  miles 
broad,  and  the  water,  instead  of  the  unvarying 


32  AGUADILLA. 


blue,  softens  to  the  most  exquisite  silvery  green 
color.  At  3  P.M.  we  run  into  a  little  bay  on  the 
west  coast  called  Aguadilla,  and  anchor  near 
two  or  three  other  small  vessels,  opposite  a  very 
pretty  little  village  of  that  name.  The  village 
is  built  close  to  the  water,  with  a  background 
of  beautifully  wooded  clifPs,  and  reminds  one 
of  Torquay.  The  church  is  an  edifice  of  some 
pretension,  but  dwarfed  in  its  towers,  on  ac- 
count of  hurricanes  and  earthquakes.  There  is 
also  a  fort,  mounting  two  or  three  aged  guns, 
and  a  colored  sentinel,  but  no  landing-place  to 
be  seen,  and  we  observe  the  natives  landing 
through  the  surf  in  large  dorys.  We  had 
hardly  dropped  our  anchor,  when  a  boat,  with 
an  innnense  Spanish  Hag  and  a  very  small 
man  in  the  stern,  came  alongside  with  such  a 
rush  as  to  call  for  an  expostulation.  "  Cuidado 
you  negronis  ne  scratckez  pas  the  jpainto^  " 
was  the  phrase  which  appealed  to  their  consid- 
eration. The  small  one  was  the  collector  of 
the  port,  and  finding  we  had  no  bill  of  health 
from  Kew  York,  he  refused  us  permission  to 
land,  and  placed  us  under  quarantine,  for 
twenty-four  hours. 


TROUBLE.  33 


Onr  conversation  was  poor  work,  as  the 
sample  of  Spanish  quoted  above  is  about  as 
good  as  we  could  muster,  and,  of  course,  the 
small  Don  was  above  knowinc:  our  heretical 
language;  but  as  far  as  one  could  judge,  he 
was  severely  troubled  in  his  mind  because  we 
had  no  cargo  and,  above  all,  no  "  TnanifiestoP 

The  little  man  left  us  with  the  gravest 
doubts  of  our  respectability,  which  were  height- 
ened by  a  pretense  he  made  of  reading  L 's 

commission  from  tlie  Treasury  Department, 
and  of  Avhicli  of  course  he  didn't  understand 
one  word.  lie  carried  this  ashore  with  him, 
also  a  letter  from  us  to  the  U.  S.  Consular 
Agent,  of  an  appealing  nature.  But  all  the 
blazing  afternoon  we  swung  disregarded,  ta- 
booed, and  grumbling  awfully,  although  a 
quiet  night  will  be  a  good  thing  for  ourselves 
and  the  crew. 


Novei7\her  IS^A. — We  get  a  letter  from  the 
Consular  Agent,  telling  us  in  substance  what 
the  collector  has  just  told  us,  as  he  ran  along- 
side in  his  nigger  manned  boat — that  our  quar- 
antine will  be  up  at  1  p.  m.  and  then  we  can 
1* 


34  SHARKS. 


go  ashore,  which  we  are  all  loni»'iiig  to  do.  We 
are  out  of  cigars,  and  the  skipper  of  a  Yankee 
schooner  anchored  near  us,  as  he  passed  under 
our  stern  in  his  boat,  tried  to  throw  one  on  boai-d 
as  a  sample  of  what  they  had  asliore  ;  but  miss- 
ing us  it  fell  in  the  water.     W.  K ,  who  is 

a  splendid  swimmer  threw  off  his  clothes,  took  a 
"header"  off  the  taff rail  and  secured  it.  We 
were  immediately  hailed  from  the  Yankee 
schooner,  "  I  guess  you'd  better  get  your  man 
back,  this  here  bay  is  full  of  ground  shirks!" 
I  need  not  say  how  delighted  we  were  when  he 
got  safe  aboard.  1  quite  sickened  with  the  ex- 
pectation of  a  catastrophe.  At  half-past  one 
o'clock  two  or  three  or  three  officers,  with  a  rath- 
er uTicertain  interpreter  (for  whose  services,  by- 
the-bye,  they  charged  $S,)  came  off  to  us,  and 
after  searching  and  examining  the  boat,  gracious- 
ly raised  the  "  taboo,"  but  politely  informed  ns 
that  w^e  must  remain  under  the  guns  (!)  of  the 
fort  until  they  could  receive  instructions  from 
the  Captain  General  of  the  island,  to  whom 
they  had  telegraphed  at  St.  Juan,  the  capital. 
The  w^ise  men  of  Aguadilla  seem  to  be  in  a 
dreadful  way  about  us ;    they  cannot  be  per- 


FOUR  HUNDRED  DOLLARS.  35 

siiaded  tliat  anybody  would  go  yachting  for 
pleasure,  and  besides  the  ingenious  collector  has 
an  idea  of"  collecting  a  line  of  i^M)()  from  us, 
for  not  having  the  indis])en5ible  '^  manifesto j''' 
They  have  also  received  intelligence  that,  "  a 
chiel's  among  us  taking  notes,"  in  the  shape  of 
a  reporter  for  the  "  N.  Y.  Herald,"  who  is  making 
drawings,  etc.  for  some  dangerous  purpose,  and 
to  crown  all,  another  schooner  flying  the  U.  S. 
flag  has  just  run  in,  having  mistaken  the  harbor 
for  that  of  Maynaguez  whither  she  is  bound. 
This  scares  them  terribly,  and  they  have  gone 
ashore  to  review  the  troops,  and  strengthen  the 
defences.  It  is  quite  evident  that  the  "Yir- 
fi^inius"  matter  is  not  forgotten. 

At  last  we  prepared  to  land,  but  this  is  an 
undertaking.  We  have  observed  the  landing  of 
several  passengers  from  a  coasting  steamer  that 
ran  in  an  hour  ago,  and,  with  all  their  care,  a 
boatman  succeeded  in  upsetting  one  of  the  dories, 
and  turning  a  stout  old  Don  and  his  Lares  into 
the  surf,  to  the  great  delight  of  a  crowd  of 
colored  nudities  on  the  beach. 

At  last  we  reached  the  shore,  and  proceeded 
with  a  long  following  of  curious  niggers,  to  visit 


36 


FIRST  LANDING. 


Mr.  Koppisch,  the  consular  agent  for  everywhere, 
who  entertained  ns  very  pleasantly,  and  pre- 
sented us  to  his  charming  family.  Having 
been  educated  in  New  York,  they  at  least  un- 
derstood the  object  of  a  yacht,  and  by  exhibiting 
our  letters  the  consul  was  able  to  soothe  in  some 
deorree,  the  alarms  of  the  authorities.  We  vis- 
ited  the  quaint  little  town  and  entered  the 
queerly  decorated  church,  without  disturbing 
the  devout  worshippers,  kneeling  here  and  there 
before  the  tawdry  coloi-ed  images  and  pictures. 


Church  at  Aguadilla. 


In  the  centre  of  the  open  space  in  front  of  the 
church,  stands  a  time  worn  sundial  still  faithfully 
marking  the  creeping  hours.     It  had  a  ruined, 


AT  ANCHOR.  37 


forlorn  look,  as  if  tired  of  preaching  the  terrible 
legend. 

"  Vulnerant  onmes,  ultima  necat !  " 

They  all  wound — the  last  kills  ! — it  is  the 
sentiment  of  a  Trappist. 

The  question  of  slavery  on  tliis  island  is  de- 
finitely set  at  rest;  the  slaves  have  been  lib- 
erated by  a  sliding  scale  of  age,  and  only  seven 
or  eight  individuals  remain  in  a  state  of  servi- 
tude. The  free  colored  popul[\tion  is  very  large, 
of  different  shades  of  mulatto,  and  it  is  amusing 
to  see  how  the  arrogant  gravity  of  the  Spaniard 
is  grafted  on  the  indolence  of  the  African. 
They  lounge  about  with  strange  expressionless 
faces,  like  the  musicians  in  Gerome's  picture  of 
the  Almee.  The  sea  has  been  smooth  all. day, 
so  that  we  returned  on  board  without  any  diffi- 
culty, and  even  brought  some  ladies  off  in  tlie 
brilliant  moonlight  to  see  the  yacht. 

Noveml)er  \S)th. — At  dawn,  a  dug-out  came 
alongside  rowed  by  the  dirtiest  of  darkies,  who 
had  a  quantity  of  small  red  mullets  for  sale. 
For  twenty-five  cents  we  secured  about  twenty 
of  them;  and  the  rosy  beauties  flipped  about 


38  UNDER  WAY. 


the  deck  until  they  met  their  fate  in  the  pan  ; 
and  they  proved  to  be  perfectly  delicious.  We 
went  ashore  to  see  the  market-place,  which  was 
filled  with  oabblins:,  chatterino*  neo^resses  selling: 
fruit,  fish,  eggs  and  corn,  but  there  were  no 
vegetables  at  all.  We  took  the  opportunity  to 
lay  in  a  supply  of  delicious  oranges  and  lemons, 
(about  five  cents  a  dozen).  I  have  not  seen  one 
even  good-looking  woman  in  the  2:)lace.  On  re- 
turning on  board  we  got  under  way,  but  drifted 
about  the  bay  for  some  hours,  victims  of  a  dead 
calm  interspersed  with  rain  storms,  and  every 
rain  drop  is  a  "  douche,"  as  if  a  string  had  to  be 
pulled  to  produce  each  one.  The  day  was  dis- 
agreeable till  sundown ;  we  attempted  fishing 

and  had  several  bites.     II.  It landed  an  odd, 

eruptive-looking  snapper,  white  with  red  spots 
all  over  him,  but  the  breeze  springing  up,  we 
hauled  in  our  lines  and  headed  down  the  Mona 
Pass  bound  to  Santa  Ciniz,  140  miles  of  dead 
beating  to  windward. 

Wovemher  ^l^th. — We  have  fairly  entered  the 
Carribean  sea,  and  enjoy  the  excpiisitely  clear, 
light  blue  waters,  so  different  from   the   heavy 


PORTO  RICO. 


tuinljliiig  waves  of  the  Atlantic,  on  the  north 
coast  of  the  island,  and  which  were  characterized 
most  appropriately  by  a  schooner  captain,  at 
Agnadilla,  as  "perfectly  scandalous,^''  As  we 
glide  along  several  miles  from  shore,  in  twelve 
fathom  water,  the  sand  and  coral  l)()ttom  gives 
the  surface  a  wonderful  sheen,  as  if  we  were 
sailing  over  satin ;  but  we  are  too  far  from  the 
land  to  see  any  of  its  beauties,  except  the  lofty 
outlines  of  the  mountains. 

November  2Ls'^. — Another  glorious  day! 

"  Like  the  waves  of  the  summer,  as  one  dies  away, 
Another  as  bright  and  as  shining  comes  on." 

We  have  made  about  sixty  miles  along  the 
southern  shore,  and  about  five  miles  from  it. 
The  land  and  sea  together  have  a  fanciful  re- 
semblance to  Mediterranean  scenes,  and  a 
remarkably  good  imitation  of  the  Cornici  road, 
so  that  one  can  almost  see  Monaco,  or  Ventimig- 
lia  as  we  smoothly  glide  along.  A  cloudless 
sky  !  smooth  sea  !  good  breeze  !  exquisite  land- 
scapes !  pleasant  companions  !  a  certainty  of 
superior  repasts  in  their  due  seasons  !  and  the 
hope  of  a  letter   from  one's  true  love    at  St. 


40  SANTA    CRUZ. 


Thomas  what  is  wanting  to  the  perfection  of 
yachting,  or  even  t)io  smn  of  human  happiness? 
In  the  afternoon,  after  standing  ck)se  in 
shore  on  the  port  tack,  we  at  Last  take  leave  of 
the  beautiful,  picturesque  shores  of  Porto  Rico, 
and  of  the  momitains  overhanging  them,  where 

"  Like  clouds  suspended  in  an  emerald  sky. 
The  ash  and  the  acacia  floating  hang 
Tremulous  and  pale.     Like  restless  serpents,  clothed 
In  rainbow  and  in  fire,  the  parasites 
Starr'd  with  ten  thousand  blossoms,  flow  around 
The  gray  trunks. 

Soft  mossy  lawns 
Beneath  these  canopies  extend  their  swells, 
Fragrant  with  perfumed  herbs,  and  eyed  with  blooms 
Minute  yet  beautiful. " 

A  most  brilliant  moonliHit  finds  us  flvino: 
along  eight  knots  an  hour,  and  laying  our  course 
for  the  island  of  Santa  Cruz,  which  already 
looms  on  the  horizon. 

Noveinber  22<^. — I  came  on  deck  at  day- 
light to  find  that  we  are  hove-to  off  Christian- 
stedt,  the  small  capital  of  the  small  island,  and 
waiting  for  a  pilot  who  is  beating  out  to  ns 
through  an  opening  in  the  coral  reef  which 
extends  along  the  whole  shore.  As  we  ap- 
proach the  island  from  the  sea,  its  soft  undulat- 


SANTA  URUZ.  41 

ing  lines  of  cane- fields  coming  close  down  to 
the  shore,  and  the  avenues  and  chisters  of  co- 
coa and  palms,  surrounding  the  emerald  green 
with  a  darker  fringe,  are  all  bathed  in  the  glory 
of  the  rising  sun,  as  well  as  the  Ijack-ground  of 
wooded  hills,  which  in  the  half-light  looked 
like  a  number  of  coal  heaps,  but  now  glitter 
out,  dotted  with  sugar  plantations  and  resi- 
dences. These  hills  are  a  little  like  those  we 
saw  in  Porto  Hico,  but  neither  so  grand,  or  so 
beautiful,  the  highest  being  only  about  a  thou- 
sand feet  high.  The  island  itself  though  very 
small,  (only  about  eighteen  miles  long,  and  six 
in  breadth)  seems  only  cultivated  in  the  western 
and  northern  parts ;  the  eastern  end  still  lo(jks 
as  wild  and  as  waste  as  wdien  Columbus  first 
anchored  here  in  1493,  and  appears  to  be  given 
over  to  deer  and  wild  jackasses,  which  form  the 
"game"  of  the  island.  Christianstedt  itself 
has  a  very  picturesque  appearance,  rising  in  an 
amphitheatre  from  the  shore  ;  but  while  we  are 
observing  these  things,  the  pilot  has  anchored 
us  very  cleverly  close  into  a  stone  quay,  which 
is  packed  with  colored  faces,  gaping  at  the 
yacht,  and  jabbering  fearfully.     We  are  rid 


42  SANTA  CRUZ. 


ino;  in  smooth  water,  tlie  color  of  malachite, 
Avliile  beyond  lis  the  bi'eakers  we  have 
passed  through,  are  booming  away  upon  tlie 
coral  reef.  We  at  once  receive  a  visit  from  the 
Danish  officials,  who  are  as  polite  and  amiable 
as  the  Aguadilla  fellows  were  unpleasant. 

On  landing,  we  were  delighted  to  find  a 
very  handsome  little  town,  regularly  laid  out  in 
squares,  clean,  well  built,  and  inhabited  by  an 
English  speaking  people  of  various  shades  of 
color,  which  latter,  however,  is  not  surprising, 
when  we  remember  that  there  are  only  4,000 
w^hites  in  the  whole  population  of  the  island, 
which  is  24,000.    Our  first  object  ashore  was  to 

present  letters  of  introduction  to  Mr.  M , 

who  is  the  chief  planter  and  merchant  of  Santa 
Cruz ;  but  we  were  rather  dismayed,  with  the 
mercury  at  90°,  on  finding  that  he  lived  at  Fred- 
richstadt,  15  miles  oif  at  the  west  end,  where 
most  of  his  plantations  lie  :  however,  after  wait- 
ing a  tropical  length  of  time,  we  succeeded  in 
procuring  a  carriage  and  a  light  wagon,  in 
w4iich  we  had  a  most  delightful  excursion 
through  the  country,  over  splendid,  hard,  smooth, 
level  roads,  broad  avenues   bordered   by    cocoa 


SANTA    CRUZ. 


43 


palms,  and  rolling  away  through  mile  after 
mile  of  rich  waving  fields  of  sugar  cane.  Here 
and  there  we  met  with  grou2)S  of  colored  youths 
offering,  for  the  absurdly  small  sum  of  ten  cents, 


The  Cocoa  Palm. 


a  basket  full  of  green  cocoa  nuts  with  which 
we  quenched  our  thirst.  The  results  of  a  too 
copious  draft  suggested  the  value  of  a  sketch  of 
brandy  in  the  milk  experto  crede  ! 


44  A  PLANTATION. 

At  every  turn  we  came  to  a  handsome  resi- 
dence, each  with  its  windmill,  sugar  Iionses  and 
laborer's  hnts  all  built  of  stone, — from  one 
end  of  our  ride  to  the  other  were  evidences  of 
the  most  industrious  cultivation,  while  the  fal- 
low lands  were  one  carpet  of  exquisite  flowers : 
Euphorbia?,  convolvuli,  and  the  lovely  scarlet 
hibiscus.  Everybody  we  met,  whether  walking 
or  riding,  saluted  us  in  the  must  polite  manner, 
and  this  happens  also  when  we  walk  in  the 
town. 

When  we  arrived  at  the  residence  of  our 
friend,  it  seemed  as  if  all  the  traditions  of 
planter's  Iiospitality  were  verified  and  exalted, 

so  charming  Avas  our  reception  by  Mr.  M and 

his  family.  It  certainly  was  delightful  to  sit 
in  a  cool  veranda,  with  a  splendid  view  of  the 
ocean,  and  enjoy  a  regular  gossip  about  home, 
with  the  lovely  chatelaine,  who  also  came  from 
New  York.  It  was  delightful  to  mount  horses, 
and  scamper  off  through  the  woods  and  over  the 
hills  for  eight  or  ten  miles,  with  distant  glimp- 
ses of  the  sea  at  the  ends  of  long  ravines  of 
densest  verdure,  while  the  hills  are  carefully  cul- 
tivated  from  the  very  summits.     Indeed  Mr. 


SANTA    CRUZ.  45 


]\I told  me  tliat  the  smooth,  rounded  ap- 
pearance of  these  summits  was  owing  to  the  fact 
that  the  tops  had  heen  cultivated  off- — tliis  sounds 
like  the  tale  of  a  traveller.  We  found  out 
host's  horses  small  but  easy  paced  and  very  sure- 
footed in  trying  places.  After  dinner,  resist- 
ing with  difficulty  the  kindly  invitations  of 
our  host,  we  drove  back  through  the  cool  dark, 
with  occasional  drenching  rains,  to  Christian- 
stedt  and  the  small  ''  Josephine."  I  took  the 
opportunity  of  testing  the  effects  of  genuine 
Santa  Cruz  rum,  made  on  the  plantation, — 
it    is    very    agreeable,   but    [)erhaps    insidious. 

Novemher  23d. — C •  and  I ■  landed  in 

tlie  cool  of  the  morning,  and  took  a  walk  about 
the  town.  Colored  women  of  every  size,  shape, 
hue  and  feature  imaginable,  blackest  ebony, 
orange  tawney,  or  cafe-au-lait,  walked  al)Out 
the  streets,  or  hung  from  the  queer  wooden 
balconies  that  extend  from  house  to  house. 
Some  of  them  were  ridiculous  resemblances  of 

friends  at  home,  we  certainly  saw  uncle  D • 

and  Mdme.  .     The  pretty  little  Protestant 

church  near  the  middle  of  the  town  possesses  an 


46 


SANTA   CRUZ. 


ideal   cemetery.     How  deliglitful  to  know  that 
wlien  one  has  "  shuffled  off    this  mortal  coil " 


A  Dazzler. 


perpetual    repose    awaits   under   a    shade   of 
cocoa  palms,  and    tamarind  trees,  with  a  car- 


MUSqUITOES.  47 


pet  of  exquisite  flowers  variegating  the  "  long 
and  pleasant  grass."  Eupliorbiie,  passion  flow- 
ers and  great  scarlet  cacti,  seem  out  of 
place  though,  in  the  quiet  God's-acre  where 
one  has  been  accustomed  to  see  "  the  violets 
of  his  native  land,"  but  the  sleepers  here 
have  a  further  glory,  their  graves  being 
banked  up  with  hugh  conch  shells,  each  with  its 
pink  grimiing  mouth  turned  outwards,  which 
has  a  sufticiently  fantastic  effect. 

During  the  morning,  we  ])aid  a  visit  to  the 
harmless  fort  which  acropolizes  the  town.  It 
is  mounted  with  wonderful  old  cannon,  and 
commanded  by  a  most  agreeable  and  witty 
major,  who  received  us  with  great  politeness, 
I  regret  very  much  not  having  been  to  "  Bu- 
lowsminde,"  an  old  Governor's  residence  on  the 
heights,  so  prettily  described  by  M.  E.  W.  S. 
in  one  of  her  stories ;  but  some  little  repairs 
being  needed  for  the  scliooner,  we  must  hasten 
to  St.  Thomas. 

Horror !  hoi-ror !  musquitoes  !  ! — they  sing 
as  loud  as  bull  frogs,  bite  like  serpents,  and 
have  appeared  among  us  with  the  suddenness 
of  one  of  Pharoah's  plagues. 


48  ST.   THOMAS. 


Novemhev  ^^tli. — After  warping  out  past  the 
fort,  we  pass  through  the  great  coral  barrier 
and  its  pensive  pelicans,  who  hardly  take  the 
trouble  to  lift  their  absurd,  over-grown  heads 
as  we  run  by.  The  pilot  steps  into  his  boat, 
and  we  are  once  more  in  blue  Avater,  heeling 
over  to  the  fresh  easterly  breeze,  and  bound 
for  St.  Thomas. 

AVe  made  tlie  run  of  forty  miles  in  four  hoTirs 
and  a  half,  notwithstanding  tliree  unpleasant 
rain  squalls,  and  now  lie  at  anchor  in  the  harbor 
of  Charlotte-Amalia,  the  capital  of  the  islan.d, 
which,  how^ever,  is  only  iifteen  miles  long, 
and  is  a  mass  of  rocks,  without  forests  or  much 
low  ground.  The  approach  to  the  island 
reminds  one  of  Marblehead,  and  the  entrance 
to  the  harbor  is  exceedingly  beautiful  and 
picturesque.  It  is  narrow,  but  as  we  rushed 
in,  regardless  of  pilots,  it  widened  into  a  lovely 
bay,  surrounded  by  a  range  of  high  hills 
sloping  to  the  w^ater,  and  with  their  dome-like 
summits  rising  700  to  1,400  feet.  The  towTi 
lies  at  their  feet,  built  on  three  spurs  of  the 
hills,  and  is  a  very  gay  looking  place,  the 
streets  rising  in  terraces,  one  above  the  other, 


ST.   THOMAS. 


49 


while  the   red-tiled  roofs  glitter  in   the  clear 
atmosphere.     The   harbor   is  filled  with  ship- 


Tuwn  and  Harbor  of  St.  Thomas. 

piiif;,  the  wharves  are  crowded  with  l)oats,  and 
the  streets  with  nijxgers  of  every  hue  and  ex- 
pression, all  chattering  and  leaping  about 
surprisingly.  I  don't  wonder  the  old  bucca- 
neers made  this  place  the  base  of  their  piratical 
operations.  It  is  full  of  neat  little  hiding 
places  for  vessels,  and  I  looked  with  interest 
on  the  two  towers,  or  rather  their  remains — - 


50  ST.    THOMAS. 


one  called  Bluebeard's  Tower,  and  the  other 
Blackbeard's  Tower — where  tliese  miUl-iuan- 
iiered  gentlemen  used  to  lark  and  carouse  after 
a  successful  expedition,  and  also  "  stow  their 
swag."  Bluebeard  I  only  remember  as  a 
fanatical  matrimonialist,  but  Blackbeard's 
cruel  exploits  are  celebrated  all  through  the 
islands.  His  mantle  appears  to  have  degener- 
ately fallen  upon  the  shopkeepers  of  the  town. 
The  cool  land  breeze  enjoyed  on  the  deck 
of  the  tidy  little  "  Josephine,"  is  pleasanter  than 
strolling  about  tlie  njvand-down,  sun-baked 
streets  of  the  town  ;  and  then  one  gets  so  tired 
of  the  inevitable  nigger.  In  this  ])lace,  the 
females  largely  predominate  in  every  hue  and 
form  of  hideousness — yet  they  seem  to  have  a 
patron  or  "  touter,"  the  vilest  of  niggers, 
who,  though  possessing  the  virtuous  name  of 
Snowball,  haunted  us  in  the  streets  with  a  wish 
to  be  our  guide,  philosopher,  and  friend.  Nor 
could  he  be  entirely  got  rid  of. 

]Vove7nher  2Dth. — Thank  Heaven!  the  nu^squi- 
toes,  or  moschettos,  as  Humboldt  calls  them, 
(I  wonder  which  is  right,)  have  been  killed  or 


ST.  TnOMAS.  51 


blown  away,  and  we  are  anchored  just  far 
enoujj^h  from  land  to  prevent  their  getting  off 
to  us.  Their  visit  seems  like  a  "  dem'd  horrid 
dream."  I  visited  Mr.  Palgrave,  the  British 
Consul,  a  veiy  good  fellow,  who  appears  to 
have  got  himself  into  a  scrape  by  writing  a  clever 
article  in  the  Coriihill  about  St.  Thomas,  in 
consequence  of  which  he  is  execrated  by  the 
inhabitants,  on  the  principle,  I  fancy,  of  *' c^ 
lib  est  que  la  verlte  qui  offense^''  The  said 
inhabitants  (there  are  no  natives)  are  composed 
of  every  race  under  the  sun,  and  largely  flav- 
ored with  the  Hebrew  of  Germany.  IS"o  one 
seems  to  be  settled.  As  each  makes  a  com- 
petence or  a  fortune,  he  shakes  off  the  dust  of 
St.  Thomas,  and  returns  to  his  native  land. 
AVe  were  inscribed  at  the  Club,  and  found  it 
a  very  comfortable  place,  on  a  high  terrace 
above  the  port,  the  windows  and  cool  balcony 
commanding  a  wonderful  view  of  the  harbor, 
bay,  and  surrounding  islands.  This  is  a  very 
busy  port.  Shipping  and  steamers,  large  and 
small,  are  constantly  arriving  or  departing, 
while  multitudes  of  small  nigger-propelled 
boats  are  always  to  be  seen  darting  about. 


62  ST.   THOMAS. 


We  have  been  carefully  warned  about  bath- 
ing, as  the  harbor  is  full  of  sharks,  and  we  have 
two  large  shark-hooks  baited,  consequently, 
over  the  taffrail.  The  beasts  float  gently  up, 
swallow  the  lump  of  beef,  and  then,  finding 
the  hook  inconvenient,  bend  it  out  straight, 
and  depart  in  peace — with  the  beef — so  that 
we  have  not  yet  captured  one.  We  get  daily 
supplies,  however,  of  delicious  little  fish,  either 
mullet  or  snappers,  of  all  colors  of  the  rain- 
bow— red  or  spotted,  or  striped  witJi  gold — and 
costing  a  mere  trifle. 

Novemher  26M. — We  have  lovely  days,  with 
a  very  hot  vertical  sun,  but  tempered  by  the 
cool  breath  of  the  trade  wind,  until  4  o'clock, 
when  the  breeze  dies  out,  and  till  six  the  air  is 
very  sultry  and  trying.  The  nights  are  filled  with 
music  in  the  shape  of  rain-squalls,  which  come 
down  with  violent  regularity,  splashing  through 
the  skylights,  and  clattering  down  the  wind- 
sails,  and  either  wet  us  all  below,  or  oblige  us  to 
take  a  Turkish  bath  by  shutting  up  the  cabin 
tightly;  however,  the  planters  say  that  it  is 
magnificent  weather  for  the  cane.     King  Cane 


ST.   THOMAS.  53 


reigns  as  paramount  in  the  West  Indies  as  King 
Cotton  in  the  Southern  States  ;  he  regulates  the 
wealth  of  all,  and  what  is  worse,  he  rules  the 
conversation.  Where  two  or  three  are  gathered 
together  I  can  be  sure  they  are  talking  '*  Cane," 
and  I  carefully  pass  by  on  the  other  side. 

There  has  been  a  great  excitement  in  the 
town  to-day  over  a  species  of  "  phillikx  >,"  or  Irish 
warfare,  among  the  niggers,  numbers  of  whom 
have  been  c(mveyed  kicking  to  the  Fort,  and 
the  row  had  to  be  suppressed  by  a  party  of  the 
Danish  cfarrison.  I  discovered  that  it  was  an 
annual  occurrence.  Christmas  is  approaching, 
and  it  seems  that  the  colored  population  have  a 
little  way  of  beginning  to  keep  it  earlf/.  These 
same  colored  people  seem,  at  any  rate  in  the 
Danish  islands,  to  have  a  higher  range  of  intel- 
liirence  than  with  us.  Clerks  in  the  custom 
house  and  government  offices,  book-keepers, 
store-keepers,  bank  clerks,  are  all  niggers,  and 
to-day  we  were  "  interviewed "  on  board,  by 
two  bright  l(X)king  darkies,  reporters  for  the 
newspaper.  To-night  the  Governor  holds  his 
weekly  reception,  but  the  inclination  to  go  is 
wanting,  as   we  were  naively  informed  by  an 


64  ST.    THOMAS. 


official  that  the  element  of  ladies  was  very  de- 
ficient indeed,  at  these  entertainments,  owing 
to  the  fact  that  nearly  all  of  these  charmers  ai-e 
either  having  babies,  or  attending  to  their  nur- 
sery duties.     This  is  a  growing  colony  ! 

Novemher  2^th. — To- day  is  almost  a  dies  non. 
We  swing  lazily  at  our  anchor,  watching  the 
incoming  and  outgoing  vessels,  and  anxiously 
hoping  for  the  arrival  of  a  tardy  hla?icMssei\se, 
that  we  may  once  more  try  the  bounding  billows 
to-morrow. 

Novemher  2^th. — This  morning  we  took  in 
provisions,  water,  and  ice,  (the  latter  four  cents 
per  lb.,)  preparatory  to  sailing ;  we  had  previ- 
ously supplied  ourselves  with  thin  ready-made 
clothing,  wdiich  St.  Thomas  supplies  very 
cheaply  to  all  the  other  islands,  being  a  free  port 
of  entry,  and  L procured  a  wonderful  tropi- 
cal hat  which  made  him  look  like  an  animated 
mushroom.      AYitli  "  a  madness  of  farewells," 

Iv and  V\, ■  dej^arted  on  shore  with  all 

their  belongings,  as  they  leave  us  here  to  i^e- 
turn  to  New  York.     The  mainsail  is  once  more 


A  FAREWELL. 


65 


hoisted,  the  anchor  comes  home,  and  at  noon  we 
sail  out  of  the  harbor  bound  for  Guadaloupe. 

,  to  coni- 


C- 


and  I  still  remain  with  L- 


Our  Blanchisseuse. 

plete  the  cruise,  of  which  the  most  enjoyable 
part  is  vet  to  come. 


56  SABA  ISLAND. 


As  soon  as  we  clear  the  islands,  we  bounce  in- 
to a  heavy  sea  with  the  wind  dead  ahead,  so  that 
we  may  be  some  time  making  the  240  miles 
that  sej^arate  us  from  our  destination.  I  cannot 
say  that  diving  into  a  head  sea,  nnder  double 
reefs  and  bonnet  off  the  staysail,  with  water 
flying  all  over  us,  is  quite  the  most  comfortable 
condition  for  the  quiet  enjoyment  of  dinner. 

Hovemher  %^th. — AVe  have  weathered  the 
shoals  off  the  east  end  of  Santa  Cruz  during  the 
night,  and  are  now  speeding  along  w^ithin  two 
points  of  our  course,  under  full  canvas,  with  a 
strong  current  against  us.  About  8  A.  M.,  we 
sighted  the  singular  island  of  Saba,  and  kept  it 
in  sight  until  nearly  sundown,  although  we  were 
averaj^ino;  seven  knots.  This  remarkable  island 
is  simply  a  volcano,  rising  abruptly  out  of  the 
sea  to  a  sugar-loaf  elevation  of  about  3,000 
feet ;  it  is  nearly  round  and  about  two  miles 
across.  It  is  inhabited  by  about  800  Dutch- 
men and  their  emancipated  slaves.  It  is  rather 
a  difficult  place  to  visit,  as  the  tourist  has  to  be 
hauled  up  the  face  of  the  rock  in  a  basket,  the 
inhabited  spot  beino^  nearly   a  thousand   feet 


SABA  ISLAND.  57 

up,  and  luGus  d  nonluceiido  it  is  called,  "The 
Bottom;"  siiigulai-ly  enough,  the  inhabitants 
are  celebrated  as  the  best  l)oat  builders  and 
sailors   in  the   West  Indies  ;    while  in  conse 


hland  of  Saba. 


quence  of  their  lofty  positii)n  they  have  a  tem- 
perate cliuiateand  grow  all  European  fruits  and 
vegetables.  As  we  passed  this  strange  moun- 
tain, we  ran  across  Saba  Bank,  a  bed  of  living 
coral,  in  about  ten  fathoms  of  water,  and  we 
could  plainly  see  the  beautiful  bottom  and  the 
fish  darting  about,  while  the  water  had  the  same 
sheeny  satFn  effects  that  we  noticed  off  Porto 
Rico.      To-dav   has  been    our   most   beautiful 


58  POETRY. 


tropical  day  yet,  a  moderate  sea  and  a  fine  even 
breeze  made  sailing  delightful,  and  the  sunset 
was  a  marvel  of  splendor, — it  ilhistrated  Sir 
AValter  Scott. 

"  And  now  my  gnilty  course  is  run, 
Mine  be  the  eve  of  tropic  sun 
No  pale  gradations  quench  his  ray, 
No  twilight  dews  his  wrath  allay; 
With  disc  like  battle-target  red 
He  rushes  to  his  fiery  bed, 
Dyes  the  wild  wave  with  bloody  light — 
Then  sinks  at  once — and  all  is  night." 

N'oveniber  SOth. — At  daylight,  with  a  smooth 
sea  and  very  little  wind,  we  make  land  right 
ahead  to  the  S.  E.,  and  by  noon  we  were  a])out 
thirty  miles  from  Basse  Terre,  the  capital  of 
Guadaloupe.  We  have,  also,  to  feast  our  curi- 
ous eyes,  on  the  horizon,  the  twin  mountains 
of  Montserrat,  a  cluster  of  islands  and  rocky 
peaks  called  "les  Saintes,"  just  south  of  Gua- 
daloupe and  farther  to  the  southward  the  great 
mountain  of  Dominica,  called  Morne  Diablotin, 
4,Y47  feet  high,  rears  his  dai'k  head  in  the  dis- 
tance— but  alas ! 

' '  The  best  laid  plots  of  mice  and  men 
Gang  aft  agloy." 


A   CALM.  59 


At  this  time  a  stark  flat  calm  fell  upon  us ;  all 
day  our  sails  flapped  in  the  heavy  ocean  swell, 
the  sun  shot  down  his  very  hottest  and  most 
vertical  rays,  and  it  was  evidently  all  up  with 
the  wonderfully  short  run  which  we  were  going 
to  make  to  Guadaloupe.  "We  possessed  our 
souls  with  patience,  refreshed  our  bodies  with 
"  cabin  stores,"  and  amused  ourselves  with  the 
performances  of  a  shark,  which  darted  round 
the  boat,  making  l)eautiful  rays  in  the  clear 
blue  water.  I  threw  over  a  hook  weighted  with 
a  pound  of  l)eef,  and  it  lay  far  below  the  sur- 
face, glittering  like  a  living  malachite,  until 
the  clever  beastie  ate  ofl"  all  the  beef  and  retir- 
ed. A.  squall  of  wind  and  rain  coming  up,  we 
lost  siirht  of  him,  and  about  dark  the  rei!:ular 
sea  breeze  set  in  again,  so  that  we  are  approach- 
ing the  coast  under  easy  sail. 

Decemher  1st. — This  has  been  a  day  of  dis- 
appointment and  yawning.  All  day  we  have 
been  <rentlv  heaviniz;  on  the  lon<x  ocean  swell 
our  sails  idly  "slattiug"  in  a  flat  calm,  within 
ten  miles  of  our  Canaan  ;  and  Ave  are  out  of 
lemons ;  not  an  orange  left  in  the  locker.     The 


60  MORE  CALM. 


island  of  Guadaloupe  is  undoubtedly  before  us, 
and  we  should  be  able  to  enjoy  its  panorama  of 
mountain  and  of  valley,  were  it  not  for  an 
envious  cloud  that  clothes  aud  almost  conceals 
the  whole  shore.  It  occasionally  sends  off  a 
visitor  to  us  in  the  shape  of  a  heavy  rain  squall, 
but  the  main  body  sits  immovable  on  the 
mountains.  There  is  something  contemptible 
in  a  calm — the  majesty  of  ocean  disappears — 
his  mighty  waves  become  mere  wrinkles,  and 
the  distant  islands,  at  other  times  ringed  with 
snrf,  just  glimmer  like  gray  ghosts  through 
the  hot  and  hazy  atmosphere. 

Decemher  ^d. — 1  really  despaired  this  morn- 
ing, when  1  came  on  deck,  and  saw  by  the  pale 
glimmer  of  the  waning  moon,  that  we  were 
still  idly  tossing  about,  ten  miles  from  land, 
and  without  a  breath  of  air  to  fan  the  uncer- 
tain sails.  Before  us,  grim  and  dark,  towered 
the  great  Souffriere,  5,500  feet  above  the  sea 
level,  surrounded  by  fantastic  mountain  peaks 
piled  pyramid  on  pyramid,  and  as  I  looked,  a 
white  streak  of  dawn  sharpened  each  outline, 
and  deepened   the   shadow  under  the  savage 


GUADALOUPE.  61 

lava-worn  lip  of  the  crater.  Peak  after  peak 
defined  its  clear,  bold  shape  against  the  increas- 
ing light 

'  'And  on  the  glimmering  limit  fax  withdrawn 
God  made  himself  an  awful  rose  of  dawn," 

I  say  peak  after  peak,  becanse  we  are  on  the 
western,  or  Carribean  side  of  Gnadalonpe; 
which  really  consists  of  two  islands  sepa- 
rated by  a  narrow  river;  and  while  the 
eastern  island  is  flat  and  sandy  this  western 
side  rises  from  the  ocean  in  one  lofty,  grand, 
volcanic  mass,  containing  upwards  of  fourteen 
craters  (probably  extinct)  and  ranging  upward, 
higher  and  higher,  towards  the  southern  end, 
divided  by  gullies  hundreds  of  feet  in  depth, 
each  peak  tinged  with  rainbow  lights  or  glitter- 
in*^  in  the  sun's  ravs — 

"  While  all  the  glens  are  drowned  in  azure  gloom." 

The  monarch  of  all  is  the  Souffri^re  (which 
name  however  is  given  to  the  volcanoes  on  many 
other  islands).  Ilis  summit,  or  crater,  is 
generally  concealed  by  clouds  and  vapor,  but 


62  GUADALOUPE. 


I  have  twice  had  the  good  fortune  to  see  his 
frowns  unveiled.  He  has  been  quiet  now  since 
liis  great  eruption  of  1797;  but  in  184:3,  he  \Qt 
liimself  off  in  an  earthquake  which  destroyed 
the  whole  town  of  Point  a  Pitre  (on  the 
eastern  island)  and  at  intervals  now  he  sends 
out  occasional  warnings  of  llanie  and  smoke  to 
intimate  what  he  will  do  the  next  time  he  gets 
ready.  At  his  foot  in  a  beautiful  bay  lies  the 
picturesque  little  town  of  Basse  Terre  close  to 
-svhicli  we  have  been  quietly  anchored,  while  I 
have  been  writing,  having  at  last  succeeded 
in  irettini;  in  before  nii2:litfall.  A  delicious 
coolness  steals  down  upon  us  from  the  moun- 
tains ;  very  agreeable  after  two  days  of  horrid 
and  torrid  calms. 

"At  last,"  as  Mr.  Kingsley  says,  we  are  an- 
chored in  the  old  citadel  of  the  tierce  and  war- 
like Caribs,  tvho  controlled  the  whole  semicircle 
of  islands,  from  Porto  Pico  to  Trinidad,  accord- 
incv  to  Washi no-ton  lrvin<T^,  and  it  was  from  this 
place  that  they  made  their  savage  expeditions, 
and  procured  provisions  for  their  cannibal  en- 
tertainments. Columbus  described  in  1493 
the  very  Souffriei'e  at  whose  base  we  are  peace- 


BASSE  TERRE. 


63 


fully  lying,  with  no  fear  of  any  worse  savages 
than  the  bloodtliirsty  inusqiiitoes,  and  although 
dusky  forms,  crowding  in  canoes,  hover  round 
ns,  offering  to  barter — their  propositions  are 
eminently  peaceful,  and,  in  some  cases,  more 
than  civilized. 


Decemher  od. — Basse  Terre  is  a  long,  straggl}' 
town,  built  ah)ng  the 
beach,  and  the  walls 
of  the  houses  rise 
out  of  the  water.  It 
is  a  fearfully  dull 
l)lace,  and  with  the 
exception  of  a  few 
shops  kept  by  white 
French  peoj)le,  we 
see  nothing  but  low 
built  houses,  tenant- 
ed by  the  colored 
race,  and  we  meet 
none  but  niggers, 
each  with  his  burden 
on  his  head.  AVest  Indian  niggers  invariably 
carry  their  loads  in  this    way,  from   a   box   of 


Negro  Portera. 


6  J:  BASSE  TERRt:. 


■\vinc  or  a  tray  of  cocoa-nuts,  down  to  a  cleiiii- 
joliii  or  a  bottle  of  medicine,  their  style  of  dress 
not  including  a  possible  side  pocket.  We  land- 
ed at  a  very  pretty  "  place  "  or  square,  shaded 
with  tamarind  trees,  and  the  town  is  refreshed 
and  kept  clean  by  plenty  of  mountain  streams 
lushing  down  across  the  streets,  but  alas ! 
liow  changed  from  their  spring-like  purity  be- 
fore they  reach  the  sea,  only  those  know  who 
have  been  anchored  near  them. 

The  largest  of  these  streams  bisects  the  town, 
and  from  the  bridge  we  beheld  clusters  of  al- 
most naked  negresses  performing  the  rite  of 
(wliat  tliey  fondly  call)  washing.  They  simply 
dabble  the  linen  in  the  stream,  and  then  laying 
it  on  a  pointed  rock,  beat  it  viciously  with  an- 
other equally  sharply  angled,  until  it  is  reduc- 
ed to  a  pulp.  Tlie  shirt  w^hen  returned  to  its 
owner,  presents  the  appearance  of  very  irregu- 
lar lace.  A  stroll  in  the  market  place  brought 
us  among  crowds  of  clamorous  negresses,  rather 
more  clothed  than  their  naiad  sisters,  each  sit- 
ting behind  heaps  of  beautiful  fruits,  vegetables, 
and  brilliant  colored  fish,  and  each  prepared  to 
cheat  us  out  of   as  many  francs  as  possible. 


BASSE  TERRE. 


65 


Among  them  were  some  Hindoo  coolie  women, 
with  what  an  Irishman  niiMit  call  earrino^s  in 
their  noses.  Our  cliief  desire  was  to  ascend 
the  Souffricre,  but  we  tried  in  vain,  with  the  help 
of  the  English  consul,  to  get  quadrupeds  to 
carry  ns  up — to  all  suggestions  and  prayers 
''''  Jamauijoudai jyeute  demain'^'^  was  the  ridic- 
ulous patois  answer,  which  we  presumed  meant 
"don't  see  it  to-day,  perhaps  to-morrow" — so  we 
accepted,  instead,  the  consul's  kind  invitation 
to  breakfast. 


Family  Matters. 


He  lives  in  a  funny  little  back  slum    with  a 
stream  of  doubtful  water  running  down    the 


no  UNDER   WAT. 

middle  of  it,  and  here  and  there  a  group  of 
colored  persons  dabbling  in  it,  and  gabbling 
their  ^oit-^o\w\di\ug patois  without  a  break:  but 
the  house  and  garden  were  charming,  and 
the  repast  a  collection  of  the  most  S'lrpris- 
iig  and  delicious  fruits — oranges,  mangoes, 
sapadilla,  avocado,  grenadilla  tigs,  vied  with 
each  other  in  temptation,  and  above  all  an  ex- 
quisite little  fruit  called  '''  poninie  de  liane." 
It  is  al)out  the  size  of  a  sickel  pear,  color  and 
rind  like  a  ripe  j)um2ikin,  and  I  could  never 
have  blamed  Adam,  if  our  lii'st  mother  had 
tempted  him  with  a  nice  ripe  one.  We  took 
leave  of  our  entertainer  with  thanks  for  the 
repast,  but  with  great  fears  for  the  immediate 
future,  as  no  mortal  from  the  north  could  with- 
stand such  fruits,  yet  no  calamity  overtook  us. 
To  my  great  regret  I  could  obtain  no  photo- 
graphs of  the  beautiful  scenery  of  the  island, 
and  we  took  advantage  of  the  evening  land 
breeze  to  depart  from  the  deadly,  lively  place, 
V)ound  for  Martinirpie. 

December  4:th. — AYe    carried   a   fine   breeze 
with  us  till  midnight,  and  then  fell  into  a  dis- 


MARTINIQUE.  67 


heartening  sail  rendering  calm,  whicii  lasted  till 
noon,  so  that  we  only  just  succeeded  in  reach- 
ing St.  Pierre,  the  capital  of  Martinique,  by  sun- 
down. Each  island  that  we  approach  seems 
lovelier  than  the  last.  To-da}^  we  ran  by  the 
island  of  Dominica  and  its  wild  chain  of  lofty 
mountains,  which  from  being  densely  wooded 
have  a  dark  and  gloomy  appearance;  but  Mar- 
tinique, as  we  see  it  from  the  sea,  is  certainly 
the  loveliest  island  we  have  yet  beheld.  The 
usual  boatload  of  niii^ijers  comes  alouirside,  and 
the  blackest  and  most  toothless  of  them  is  the 
pilot,  under  whose  guidance  we  beat  into  the 
open  roadstead  which  represents  the  harbor  of 
St.  Pierre,  and  gliding  under  the  shadow  of 
Mount  Pelee,  a  threatening  monster  of  a  vol- 
cano, we  make  fast  to  the  government  moorings 
near  the  shore  of  the  very  pretty  town  over 
which  he  presides,  and  sometimes  threatens,  as 
in  1851,  when  he  suddenly  burst  out  with  smoke 
and  llames,  and  covered  the  island  with  ashes, 
scarinc:  the  inhabitants  out  of  their  wits. 

The  high  coteaux  are  lovely  with  the  con- 
trasts of  bright  green  sugar  cane,  dark  coffee 
plantations,  and  variegated  forests  towered  over 


68  MARTINIQUE. 


by  lofty  palms,  which  shoot  up  a  hundred  feet 
or  so  before  they  spread  their  feathery  coronal, 
and  dotted  over  the  landscape  are  the  usines  or 
snii;ar  estates  with  their  white  buildings  and  tall 
chimneys.  The  port  contains  a  large  number  of 
vessels  which,  owing  to  the  great  depth  of  water 
in  the  roads,  are  anchored  close  in  shore,  and 
also  moored  by  the  stern,  a  process  we  shall' 
have  to  underfi^o  to-morrow  niorninc:.  The 
town  looks  very  gay  from  our  deck ;  but  we 
resist  its  blandishments  till  to-morrow. 

Deceiiiber  hth. — A  orreat  deal  of  shoutinor  and 
struggling  brought  us  to  our  anchorage,  and  we 
have  at  last  got  our  stern  moorings  made  fast 
ashore,  all  right.  The  town  is  very  handsome, 
and  the  houses  well  built  of  stone,  which  gives 
the  place  a  sort  of  provincial  French  air.  The 
streets  are  terraced  above  each  other  in  an  up 
and  down  way,  and  one  comes  quite  suddenly 
upon  unexpected  and  very  steep  hills.  The 
market  place  is  spacious,  and  usually  filled  with 
the  jabbering  crowd  of  niggers,  who  look  as  if 
they  had  suddenly  reappeared  from  Guadaloupe, 
to  have  another  look  at  us.     There  is  also  the 


MARTINIQUE. 


m 


same  watercourse  dividing  the  town,  and  the 
same  bridtice  from  which  we  ao-ain  beheld  at 
least  a  hundred  black  females  offering  up  sacri- 


Lace-Mnking. 

fices  of  linen.  We  received  a  great  deal  of 
politeness  and  attention  from  the  British  consul, 
Mr.  Lawless,  who  walked  around  with  us  to  point 
out  the  lions,  showed  us  the  Bishop's  garden 
and  introduced  us  to  the  Cercle  Privee,  or  club. 
After  our  return  on  board,  we  had  a  mild 
imitation  of  a  chapter  from  the  "  Earl  and  the 
Doctor,"  in  the  shape  of  a  visitati(jn  of  many 
mulattoes,  des  deux  sexes,  apparently  as  bare  as 
robins,  who  swarmed  about  round  us,  and  dived 


MARTINIQUE. 


with  i^n-eat  agility  for  lialf-fraiics  wliit-h  tliey 
iiivarialjly  cauglit,  and  stowed  away  in  rlieir 
mouths.  These  primitive  little  games  became 
tiresome  though,  as  our  half-francs  diminished 
— and  as  it  seemed  to  be  a  thing  that  went  on 
all  day,  our  priucijdos  were  not  dangerously 
undermined. 

Deceniher  CM. — To-day  being  Sun<l;iy  we  at- 
tended High  Mass  in  the  Cathedral,  which  is  a 
large  but  not  imposing  edifice — and  although 
they  have  a  good  sized  organ,  they  do  not  use 
it,  l)ut  seem  to  prefer  a  sort  of  harmonium  near 
the  altar.  The  congregation  was,  of  course,  of 
all  hues  exce])t  white.  The  ladies  all  knelt  on 
their  own  little  carpets  and  cushions  in  the 
centre  aisle,  and  many  of  them  were  very 
pretty.  The  shops  were  kept  religiously  shut 
during  church-time,  but  were  reopened  after- 
wards, and  the  streets  were  very  gay  with  the 
crowds  of  holiday  keepers.  In  the  afternoon 
we  walked  to  the  Savanna,  a  large,  open  space 
beyond  the  town,  and  the  favorite  promenade 
of  the  St.  Pio'Tots ;  beyond  this,  again,  we 
found  the  Botanical  Gardens,  beautifully  laid 


MARTINIQUE. 


out  witli  a  very  good  collection  of  tropical  trees 
and  orchids,  besides  many  varieties  of  palms^ 


The  Ceiba  Tree. 


an  innnense  poinsettia  in  full  scarlet  glory — 
I  thought  the  most  splendid  plant  1  ever  be- 
held— so  different  from  the  feeble  shrubs  one 


TQ, 


SNAKES. 


sees  ill  the  northern  greenhouses.  A  very  pretty 
lake  stands  in  the  centre  of  the  gardens,  and 
supports  a  hxrge  variety  of  aquatic  phiiits,  but 
])erhaps  the  glory  of  the  place  is  an  enormous 
Ceiba  or  silk  cotton  tree,  whose  immense 
branches  have  probably  shaded  many  a  can- 
nibal repast  prepared  nnder  its  curious  but- 
tressed trunk. 

They  have  a  museum,  too,  containing  speci- 
mens of  all  the  indigenous  beasts,  birds  and 
lishes,  and  particularly  snakes,  which  infest  the 
island  most  uncomfortably.  There  is  a  fellow 
called  the  Fer  de  lance^  a  yellow  snake  with  a 
tail  like  a  rat,  a  very  ugly  customer  to  meet, 
and  dreaded  by  the  laborers  and  field  hands. 
About  150  people  died  of  snake  bites  last  year. 
It  was  very  pleasant  to  turn  from  such  nasty 
things,  back  to  the  Savanna,  where  the  whole 
population  appeared  to  be  walking  in  their 
Sunday  clothes.  Then  I  saw  the  real  Martin- 
ique beauties.  Oh!  how  lovely  they  are  !  such 
13retty  feet  and  hands,  lithe  graceful,  undulating 
figures,  and  flashing  saucy  eyes,  under  a  jaunty 
red  or  yellow  silk  tokyue,  are  to  be  seen  nowhere 
else.     And  then  how  they  dress  !  nowhere  else 


MARTINIQUE  BEAUTIES  73 

(^oiild  they  venture  on  the  Jiipe  de  Martinique, 
which  is  simply  a  piece  of  showy  stuff  wound 
or  draped  round  the  body  for  a  skirt,  but  so 
ilraped,  and  worn  with  sucli  a  demarchej 
Vera  incessa  patult  Deal  they  are  very 
cliarniing.  The  British  Consul  returned  on 
board,  and  dined  with  us.  I  could  not 
but  admire  his  courai^e ;  we  sat  in  the 
cabin  witli  the  mercury  at  85°,  perspiring 
freely  in  our  shirt  sleeves,  while  lie  never 
unbuttoned  his  blue  and  buttony  uniform,  and 
he  never  turned  a  hair. 

Decemher  'Jth. — This  morning,  Mr.  Lawless 
having  very  kindly  provided  us  with  horses,  a 
guide,  and  a  spur  apiece,  we  started  away 
before  sunrise,  to  "/ds  Eaux  chaudeSy'^  or  as 
the  proprietor,  with  much  dignity  calls  it, 
'' D Etahlissemeiit  hes  Babu  Thermo-raineraux 
dib  PrechuerP  It  lies  up  the  mountain  some 
ten  miles  from  St.  Pierre ;  our  road,  for  the 
iirst  four  miles,  lay  by  the  side  of  the  ocean, 
through  delicious  shady  groves,  of  cocoa  pahns, 
tamarinds,  ceiba,  and  mangoes,  by  little  farms, 
fields  of  cane,  and  pretty  embowered  villages, 


T4 


A  BATU. 


eacli  with  its  little  wayside  shrine  and  rude  im- 
age of  the  Mater  Dolorosa,  or  Salvatoi*  niuiuli, 
a  devout  worshipper  oi*  two,  and  bunches 
of  faded  flower  offerings  on  the  steps.  We  see 
these  everywhere,  and  none  of  the  many 
market  people  we  meet  trudging  to  the  town 
with  loads  of  vegetables  or  fruit,  pass  them 
without  at  least  crossing  themselves. 


My  Steed. 


Our  way  suddenly  diverged  into  a  little 
mountain  bridle  path,  where  ascending  single 
file,  between  masses  of  verdure  and  a  wilderness 
of  blooms  which  fill  the  air  with  sweetness,  and 


THE  BATH  75 


fording  the  many  clear  little  torrents  that  gush 
out  of  the  scarred  old  flanks  of  Peleus,  our 
sure-footed  little  beasts,  at  last  brought  us  to  a 
large  plateau  about  500  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  sea,  and  from  which  we  had  the  most 
exquisite  view  of  ocean,  wild  mountain,  and 
wilder  ravine.  Here  stands  the  Etctblisse- 
laent,  which  is  simj3ly  a  wooden  structure  with 
galleries  all  about  it,  with  all  l)ut  the  lower 
story  open  to  the  four  winds  of  Heaven,  the 
upper  j)art  being  used  for  drying  cocoa  beans. 
Our  long  hot  ride  made  the  prospect  of  a  bath 
peculiarly  grateful,  but  I  never  can  describe  the 
complete  splendor  and  delight  of  that  bath. 
AV'e  hurriedly  arraiiged  for  a  little  breakfast, 
and  then,  conducted  by  a  mulatto  goddess, 
entered  a  long  shed  under  which  is  the  place  of 
delight,  a  long  brick-paved,  very  clean  place, 
large  enough  for  one  to  take  seven  or  eight 
swimming  strokes,  and  filled  with  the  mineral 
water  to  the  depth  of  five  feet.  The  water 
is  of  the  Yichy  order  and  tastes'  quite  alkaline, 
and  is  of  the  temperature  of  new  milk.  IIow 
we  plunged  into  it  again  and  again !  how  we 
revelled  in  it,  and  staying  in  it  nearly  an  hour, 


76  THE  BATH. 


came  out  like  John  Buiiyan,  after  his  pack 
rolled  away  from  him,  invigorated,  refreshed, 
and  oh  !  how  hungry  !  We  sauntered  back  to 
the  house  to  breakfast,  and  I  draw  a  discreet 
veil  over  the  quantity  of  omelcttes-au-lant  that 
we  made  away  with.  We  met  an  intelligent 
-)0\M\g padre,  so  much  younger  than  myself  that 
it  seemed  a  lark  to  call  him  "  mon  Pere^'  and  a 
Tie.\^\hoYmgj[>roj[>rietaire\\\\h  whom  we  shared 
our  Pommeraye  sec,  and  discoursed  of  many 
things  during  the  hour  or  two  of  gentle 
languor  and  cigars,  that  came  like  the  reward 
of  a  good  action.  Altogether  it  was  an  enchant- 
ing excursion,  but  our  last  one  here,  for  to  my 

regret,  L decided  to  get  under  weigh  for 

Barbadoes,  with  the  land  breeze  this  evening, 
so  we  bid  a  sad  farewell  to  the  enchantments 
and  attractions  of  this  loveliest  of  the  Antilles. 
Good-bye,  dear  Martinique,  I  don't  think  we 
shall  meet  with  anything  better. 

"  The  cloud  may  stoop  from  heaven  and  take  the  shape. 
With  fold  to  fold,  of  mountain  or  of  cape," 

but  cannot  surpass  my  Martinique. 

I   have  tried,  but  not  very  successfully,  to 


UNDER    WAY  AOAIK 


collogue  witli  the  natives  in.  their  \\OYYidi patois. 
It  seems  to  be  a  jargon  based  on  the  French, 
and  composed  of  sounds  and  corruptions  of 
words,  that  fit  most  naturally  to  the  nigger 
organs  of  speech.  It  is  a  very  undignified, 
toothless  sort  of  dialect,  soft,  but  silly  in  the 
extreme.  The  natives  love  it  best  thouirh,  and 
althougli  they  will  speak  French  if  you  insist, 
the  rascals  will  always  try  to  draw  yon  into 
tlieir  ridiculous  gabble. 

December  Sth. — After  baflflinir  about  under 
short  sail  all  night,  we  found  ourselves  this 
morning  at  the  southern  end  of  Martinique,  and 
close  to  the  celebrated  Diamond  Rock,  which 
rises  six  hundred  feet  clean  out  of  the  water,  is 
only  about  a  mile  round,  and  was  considered 
unclimbable  until  Admiral  Hood,  in  ISO-I, 
made  a  hawser  fast  to  the  top  from  his  ship, 
"  The  Centaur,"  and  succeeded  in  hauling  up 
five  guns,  which  were  placed  in  position,  and 
defended  by  120  men  with  four  months'  pro- 
visions. The  rock  was  actually  rated  on  the 
admiralty  books  as  H.  M.  S.  Diamond  Rock, 
and   the   position    was  held  for  a  year  and  a 


ST.   LUCIA. 


half,  until  for  want  of  powder,  it  was  sur- 
rendered to  the  French  squadron.  It  is  aston- 
islnng  to  think  c>f  the  tremendous  fights  that 
have  taken  place  over  these  West  India  Islands, 
and  the  quantity  of  lives  that  have  heen  spent 
in  the  various  changes  of  ownership  that  each 
has  undero^one.  On  our  starboard  hand  is  the 
beautiful  but  snaky  island  of  St.  Lucia,  also  the 
scene  of  some  very  hard  fighting.  It  is  towered 
over  by  the  singular  twin  mountains  at  its 
western  end,  called  the  Pitons,  which,  about_  a 
mile  apart,  rush  sheer  out  of  the  sea  up  about 
3,000  feet,  are  covered  w^ith  heavy  woods,  and 
quite  inaccessible.  There  is  a  story  of  some 
sailors  trying  to  climb  one  of  them,  and  being 
all  killed  by  the  for  de  lance.  Behind  them 
is  a  lovely  little  bay,  bathing  the  foot  of  the 
fantastic  Souffriere,  now  of  rather  diminished 
loftiness,  having  blown  his  own  crater  all  to 
pieces  in  the  last  eruption.  As  we  catch  a 
favoring  breeze,  we  soon  leave  these  beautiful 
islands  behind  us,  getting,  however,  a  distant 
view  of  St.  Yincent  and  his  big  volcanic  peak. 
All  the  evening  we  bowl  along  about  nine  knots 
an    hour  towards  Barbadoes.     One   among  us 


POESY.  79 


had  been  observed  violently  sucking  a  stump 
of  black  lead  pencil  during  the  day,  and  asking 
the  steward  for  note  paper.  So  no  one  was 
surprised  when,  the  cloth  being  removed  and 
cigars  lighted,  our  conversation  took  this  kind 
of  form : 

T. — "  Look  here  !  the  buccaneerishness  of 
tliese  latitudes  has  awakened  the  deep  well  of 
poetry  I  have  always  thought  was  hidden  within 
me.  I  yearn  for  the  unattainable.  I  have 
burst  into  song.  Kow  just  give  me,  both  of 
you,  your  opinion  on  this  little  thing.  I  call  it 
rather  neat — but  mind,  it's  copyrighted.  You 
are  not  to  go  sending  it  to  the  girl  3'ou  left 
behind  you  as  a  tenderness  of  your  own." 

(Z ■  dlsajpj)ears  hastily  itjp  the  Gomjpan 

ioiiway.) 

"  Never  mind.    C you  have  a  soul  for  this 

sort  of  thing,  just  listen  and  be  thrilled  ! 

*'  Far  'neath  the  tropic  sky,  our  wandering  barque 
Rises  upon  the  rolling  purple  wave, 
The  sun,  low  on  the  confines  of  the  dark, 
Seems  in  the  deep  his  burning  disc  to  lave. 
As  flies  the  white  foam  o'er  the  crested  sea, 
So  fly  my  burning  thoughts,  0  Love,  to  thee  !  " 


so  poEsr. 


L.  {on  decJc.) — "  Clew  down  tlie  inaintopsail, 
and  furl  it.     Stand  by  foresail  halliards/' 

C. — "  There  !  I  knew  such  rot  would  l)rinnr  a 
8(|uall !  Oh  dear,  I  thought  one  might  have 
'list  one  quiet  night  too — everything  acts  just 
ike  the  devil!" 

T. —  "  Vex  not  thou  the  poet's  mind 

With  thy  shallow  wit, 

hut  listen   to  the  splendid   effect   of   the   next 
stanza." 

C. — '' Patience  is  a  virtue.  Steward!  some 
brandy  and  water." 

T. —    "A  speck  upon  the  heaving  ocean's  breast, 

The  compass  guides  our  trackless  path  aright, 

But  my  unquiet  heart,  in  wild  unrest. 

Yearns  with  its  weight  of  love  throughout  the 

night  ! 
The  perfumed  south  wind  speeds  us  o'er  the  sea. 
And  all  my  soul  is  full,  O  Lore,  of  thee  !  " 

L.  {on  decl\) — "Lower  away  foresail,  hand- 
somely now !  Call  starboard  watch,  and  reef 
mainsail." 

C. —  "  Serves  us  right !  your  perfumed  south 
wind  is  going  to  give  us  fits,  and  while  they  are 
reefiing  I  should  like  to  know  how  your  what's- 


BARB  ADO  ES.  81 


liis-naiiie  lieart,  in  wild  thiiii^aiiimy,  is  like  our 
8teady-goiii<^  old  compass.  Shut  up  and  tako 
some  of  tliis." 

T. —  "  You  liave  no  poetry  in  your  soul.  1 
shall  turn  in." 

Decemher  ^th. — We  made  such  ix<M>d  time  in 
the  nii^^ht,  that  we  had  to  heave-to  off  the  coast 
and  wait  till  dayliij^ht.  The  morning  sun  was 
just  tuniiiig  the  Iiill  pahns  to  gold,  as  we  tilled 
away  and  sailed  into  the  harbor  of  Bridgetown, 
the  capital  of  Barbadoes.  This  island,  as  seen 
from  the  sea,  is  quite  different  from  any  other 
ot"  the  islands  we  have  visited,  the  difference  is 
that  of  a  quiet  respectable  citizen  from  a  wild 
and  dazzling  pirate.  Here  in  Barbadoes  are  no 
volcanoes  or  S(Miffrieres  to  hold  the  island  in 
awe,  no  wild  forests,  or  savage  peaks  with  deep 
azure  glens  and  ravines  ;  all  is  smooth,  quiet, 
snug,  highly  cultivated  and  densely  populated; 
even  nature  seems  controlled  by  the  spirit  of 
British  respectability,  and  at  a  distance,  were  it 
not  for  the  palm-trees,  one  might  imagine  one's 
self  sailing  up  to  the  Isle  of  Wight.  The  pop- 
ulation is  remarkable,  being  over  162,000  for 


82  VEIiY  FREE  NIGGERS. 

an  island  eighteen  miles  long  by  twelve  miles 
broad,  and  we  saw  very  unfavorable  specimens 
of  it  as  we  ran  into  the  harbor,  in  the  shape  of 
immense  numbers  of  most  persevering  and  re- 
pulsive darkies  who  flocked  round  us  in  small 
boats,  keeping  up  with  us  as  we  shortened  sail, 
offering  quite  unnecessary  pilotage  and  scream- 
ing out  most  injurious  statements  about  each 
other  and  each  other's  family  relations.  We  had 
absolutely  to  obtain  the  assistance  of  the  harbor 
police  to  clear  them  off,  having  with  the  great- 
est difficulty  prevented  them  from  swarming  all 
over  the  schooner,  until  we  finally  dropped 
anchor  some  distance  from  the  wharf  landing, 
outside  the  mole,  and  near  an  English  corvette, 
the  "  Druid." 

As  soon  as  we  handed  we  were  assailed  by  a 
cloud  of  pestiferous  niggers  des  deux  sems,  who 
hovered  round  us  like  musquitos,  except  that 
the  sense  they  offended  was  not  that  of  touch, 
and  while  endeavoring  to  drive  them  off,  we 
were  reinforced  by  a  New  Yorker  whom  I  had 
known  under  less  trying  circumstances,  and 
eventually  succeeded  in  reaching  the  Ice  House, 
which  is  the  cafe  and  general  supply  store  oi 


BARBADOES. 


83 


the  town.     Here  we  met  the  U.  S.  consul  and 
went  thronojh  a  liberal  course  of  introductions, 


(6  ill  BrUlgttoicn. 

making  the  acijuaintance  also  of  a  voluminoua 
but  enticing:  drink  known  as  "swizzle."     Our 


84  VISITING. 


friend  very  kindly  lent  ns  his  carriage,  in  which 
we  proceeded  to  pay  our  respects  to  the  Gover- 
nor of  the  Windward  Islands,  lion.  Rawson  W. 
Rawson,  to  whom  we  had  a  letter  of  introduc- 
tion. Government  House  is  about  a  mile  out 
of  town,  and  stands  in  the  midst  of  a  perfect 
paradise  of  most  beautiful  gardens.  The  Gov- 
ernor, whose  scientific  tastes  are  well  known, 
showed  us  his  collecticm  of  shells  and  marine 
curiosities,  which  Mr.  Agassiz  pronounced  to  be 
the  most  perfect  he  had  seen,  and  after  a  plea- 
sant conchological  hour  we  visited  the  gardens 
where  my  ignorance,  I  hope,  was  less  conspicu- 
ous. The  botanical  collection  was  admirable, 
and  it  seemed  charming  to  have  a  greenhouse 
without  the  northern  appliances  of  glass  and 
stoves.  I  forbear  a  list  of  nomenclatures  of  the 
lovely  things  I  saw,  feeling  that  the  splendid 
tree  fern  is  not  more  admirable  when  called 
Polypodium  arhoreum.  We  wound  up  at  the 
very  nice  club  in  the  town,  so  that  we  may  be 
said  to  be  free  of  the  city,  and  the  hospitable 
people  seem  to  think  they  can't  do  enough  to 
make  it  pleasant  for  us.  The  town  itself  is  very 
British  and  substantial,  and  the  environs  are 


BARBAD0E8.  85 


rows  of  pretty  houses  and  gardens  reminding 
one,  mutatis  mutandis^  of  St.  John's  Wood. 
With  a  little  more  breeze  and  a  good  many  less 
niggers,  it  would  be  delightful. 

Deceinher  \Oth. — We  have  been  lying  quietly 
at  anchor  all  day,  enjoying  a  repose  heighten- 
ed by  the  certainty  that  everybody  must  be 
very  hot  ashore.  The  weather  is  too  trying 
until  nearly  sundown.  We  went  ashore  in  the 
evening,  and  drove  round  tlie  pleasant  outskirts 
of  the  town  to  a  suburb  called  Hastings,  w^hich 
is  251'ettily  situated  on  a  coral  point,  and  con- 
tains the  houses  of  most  of  the  European  resi- 
dents, also  the  barracks,  parade  ground,  and  an 
ominous  monument  erected  to  the  victims  of 
the  hurricane  of  1831,  which  seems  to  have 
been  very  destructive,  over  2000  people  having 
lost  their  lives. 

December  11th. — To-day  has  very  much  re- 
sembled yesterday,  the  same  visits  from  hopeful 
hlanchiseuses  (badly  named,  for  they  all  vie  with 
the  ace  of  spades)  and  bumboat  wom.en,  and  a 
great  many  friendly  visitations  from  residents 


86  TURTLE  AND  PUNCH. 

of  the  place.  One  gentleman  lent  ns  his  car- 
riage for  a  very  pleasant  drive  among  the  cane- 
fields  and  by  the  sea  shore ;  another  gave  us  a 
charming  evening  at  his  house,  where  we  made 
the  acquaintance  of  a  bowl  of  Barbadian  punch, 
the  ingredients  of  which  I  here  give  to  a  grate- 
ful world :  Holland  gin,  sugar,  limes,  fresh 
cocoanut  milk,  and  ice.  I  have  no  expression 
strong  enough  to  describe  my  entire  respect 
for  it. 

While  Ave  were  in  Martinique  we  bought  a 
brace  of  green  turtles  for  four  dollars,  and  these 
succulent  creatures,  each  with  a  hole  through 
his  shell  and  a  long  painter,  enjoy  themselves 
in  their  native  element  awaiting  their  final  des- 
tiny. Their  lives  have  been  prolonged  from 
the  fact  that  the  Ice  House  supplies  us  with 
perfect  turtle  soup,  composed  really  of  turtle, 
and  not  strengthened  with  beef  and  veal  stock, 

such  as  we  know  of  in  the  North.     L has 

some  cases  of  Sercial  Madeira,  too,  wdiich  that 
clever  old  connoisseur  Coleridge,  who  visited  the 
islands  forty  years  ago,  says  is  the  true  wine 
for  turtle — and  how  right  he  is  ! 


BARBAD0E8.  87 


December  12th. — We  landed  tliis  nioniino^  to 

take  breakfast  with  Mr.  P ,  a  merchant  of 

the  phice.  Ilis  pretty  residence  surrounded  by 
mahogany  trees,  was  at  some  distance  from  the 
town,  as  indeed  everybody's  appears  to  be,  and 
I  enjoyed  the  siglit  of  a  collection  of  tropical 
ferns,  such  as  coukl  liardly  be  assembled  in  tem- 
perate zones.  We  met  with  a  singularly  good 
plat  at  this  entertainment,  being  the  roes  of  fly- 
ins^  iitfh  scrambled  with  ei^fo^s.  How  nice  it 
sounds !  and  it  tastes  even  better.  The  flying- 
lisli  is  quite  an  article  of  food  here,  as  immense 
quantities  are  netted  round  the  island  by  the  trim, 
cranky-looking  little  boats  with  large  sails  that 
one  sees  cruising  about  in  the  offing.  After  a 
siesta  we  went  ashore  again  to  a  dinner-party  at 
Governujent  House.  Every  man  was  in  uni- 
form but  ourselves,  and  our  black  cosits  Juisai- 
ent  tdche  in  the  general  effect.  The  charming 
presence  of  the  ladies  was,  if  possible,  the  more 
agreeable  to  us  after  a  long  absence  from  home, 
and  the  perpetual  haranguing  of  blackies, 
and  I  was  sorry  when  the  "  governess  "  gave  that 
mysterious  signal  for  departure  that  always  ends 
the  very  best  of  dimiers.     Everybody  seemed  so 


88  THE  DREADFUL  BIM. 

kind,  friendly  and  hospitable,  that  a  winter 
passed  here  could  not  but  be  very  pleasant.  The 
only  great  objection  to  Barbadoes  is  the  tre- 
mendous cheeh  and  insolence  of  the  "  Bini  "  as 
the  nigger  of  the  island  is  called.  Ko  one 
could  believe  it  possible,  or  appreciate  it  unless 
he  had  suffered  and  endeavored  to  endure  it. 
The  Book  of  Job  would  never  have  been  written, 
had  that  interesting  sufferer  lived  in  Barbadoes. 

December  IZth. — A  delightful  day  of  far 
niente,  AYe  literally  did  nothing,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  a  visit  to  the  ofhcers  of  the  97th  in 
barracks,  who  were  as  hospitable  as  everybody 
else. 

December  \^th. — A  very  busy,  happy  day  in 
deed.  AVe  w^ere  ashore  by  seven  o'clock,  to 
enjoy  an  excursion  which  had  been  arranged 
for  us  by  some  of  our  polite  entertainers  to  the 
east  or  windward  side  of  the  island.  We 
found  their  carriao;es  waitino;  for  us  and  off  we 
started  over  the  capital  coral  roads,  (the  entire 
island  being  nothing  but  a  coral  formation) 
glittering  and  white,  through  endless  plantations 


BARBADOES.  89 

of  the  now  rather  wearisome  sugar-cane  for 
about  sixteen  miles,  wlien  we  halted  on  the  edire 
■^f  a  long  abrupt  cliff,  about  seven  lumdred  feet 
ligh,  and  suddenly  beheld  one  of  the  most  ex- 
quisite views  the  eye  ever  rested  on.  Beneath 
us  was  unrolled  a  wide  panorama  of  cultivated 
fields,  avenues  of  palms,  houses,  huts,  a  church 
or  two,  a  lighthouse,  and  on  the  verge  the  white 
surf  of  the  Atlantic  restlessly  rolling  upon  the 
coral  beach.  I  believe  this  part  of  the  island 
is  called  Scotland,  perhaps  from  a  fancied  re- 
semblance to  the  Trosachs.  After  enjoying 
the  view  to  the  utmost,  we  drove  about  a  mile 
further  to  St.  John's  church,  the  oldest  on  the 
island,  where,  after  moralizing  in  the  old  church- 
yard, we  partook  of  a  slight  repast  in  the  vestry. 
We  got  back  to  Bridgetown  shortly  after  noon, 
rather  exhausted  with  the  hot  sun,  but  found 
that  our  entertainers  had  prepared  another  gor- 
geous repast  at  the  club,  to  which  we  did  what 
honor  we  could.  We  spent  our  afternoon  in 
receiving  visits  until  it  was  time  for  us  to  go  on 
board  the  Prussian  brig  of  war  "  Undine," 
where  we  were  invited  to  dine.  The  officers 
were  a  capital  set  of  fellows,  and  gave  us  an 


90  A  LITTLE  DINNER. 

excellent  dinner  in  the  ward  room.  I  was  put 
next  the  chaplain,  as  he  couldn't  speak  a  word 
of  Englisli  and  the  other  officers  all  could  more 
or  less,  and  a  very  jolly  companion  he  was.  The 
chief  ornaments  of  the  ward  room  ^vere  a  cask 
of  Itudesheimer  and  one  of  Steinberger  neatly 
stowed  in  different  corners.  It  was  like  Mrs. 
Chickenstalker's  ''  notion  of  a  little  flip,"  and 
it  was  pleasant  to  know  that  we  had  so  much 
to  fall  back  upon,  for  never  was  the  generous 
growth  of  the  Rliine  more  thoroughly  appreci- 
ated ;  indeed  we  subsequently  restored  one 
young  guest  to  his  family,  of  whom  it  could  be 
said,  ahilt,  excessit,  erujpit^  evasit, — in  Englisli — 
he  went  out  to  dinner,  he  took  more  hock  than 
was  good  for  him — he  had  a  tremendous  spree 
— he  said  it  ivas  the  salmon. 

The  "  Undine  "  being  a  school  ship,  had  lots 
of  boys  on  board,  and  after  dinner  they  all 
sang  quantities  of  German  songs,  very  prettily 
indeed.  Still,  it  was  not  disagreeable  at  last  to 
step  into  the  gig  and  return  to  our  own 
quarters  and  repose,  for  no  one  can  deny  that 
the  two  most  fatiguing  exertions  in  life  are  sight- 
seeing and  dinner-parties. 


TOD  AGO.  91 


December  Vdtli. — Chastened  but  not  dis- 
couraged, the  morning  sun  finds  us  after 
yesterday's  exercises.  We  paid  a  quantity  of 
''farewellers"  and  regretfully  declined  many 
invitations, L having  decided  to  get  under- 
way this  afternoon  for  Trinidad,  as  it  is  desirable 
to  sight  the  island  of  Tobago,  which  lies  directly 
in  our  route,  at  daylight  to-morrow.  We  left 
all  the  Barbadians  preparing  for  a  grand  ball 
at  the  barracks,  and  stood  gallantly  out  of  the 
harljor.  About  midnight  1  saw  the  wonderful 
phosphorescence  of  the  water  described  by 
Humboldt,  as  we  rapidly  slii)ped  through  it 
with  a  fair  wind.  The  moon  had  just  set  and 
the  crest  of  every  wave  was  aflame  ;  the  lines 
towing  astern  with  the  patent  logs,  were  ser- 
pents of  living  fire,  and  all  the  sea  where  we 
cleft  it  with  our  prow  or  left  it  seething  in  our 
wake,  seemed  boiling  flames. 

December  l^th. — xVt  daylight  we  sighted  the 
island  of  Tobago,  and  gradually  as  we  drew 
nearer,  its  lofty  peaks  and  deep  chasm — like 
valleys  covered  with  forest,  became  distinct, 
but  not  even  the  glow  of  morning  sun  could 


92  POOR  ROBINSON  CRUSOE. 

destroy  the  dismal,  iiiiinliabited  look  of  the 
island.  The  appearance  of  the  lofty,  gloomy 
momitains  and  black  precipices,  descending 
abruptly  to  the  sea,  have  caused  it  to  be  most 
appropriately  called  "  The  Melancholy  Isle." 
It  has  a  peculiar  interest  as  the  island  on  Avhicli 
"poor  Robinson  Crusoe  "  was  cast  away,  and 
as  we  passed  its  southern  point  and  saw  the 
Burf  rolling  upon  its  desolate  sands,  one  could 
imagine  the  startling  footprint  and  the  Caribs 
landing;  from  the  nei^chborini^  island  of  Trini- 
dad  :  in  fact  we  beheld  the  little  "  cove  running 
np  inland  and  the  heavy  swell  on  the  beach." 
As  we  run  past,  the  lofty  range  of  mountains  on 
the  north  coast  of  Trinidad  comes  in  sight  on  the 
horizon,  shrouded  in  mist  and  rain-squalls,  and 
at  sundown  we  heave-to,  being  unable  to  pass 
the  rough  entrance  to  the  Gulf  of  Paria  till  day- 
light. 

December  17 t/i. — With  a  fresh  breeze  we 
filled  away  at  daylight  for  the  Bocas  de 
Dragone — the  Dragon's  Mouths — which  ai-e  the 
narrow  entrances  by  the  north  to  the  beautiful 
Gulf  of   Paria,  tlie  great  embouchure  of  the 


TRINIDAD. 


93 


Oronoco,  whose  mighty  waters  tinge  the  gulf 
a  muddy  bottle-green  color,  very  different  from 
the  delightful  Mediterranean-blue  of  the  Carib- 
bean Sea.     The  gulf  is  a  great  harbor,  affording 


The  Dragons  Houtfis. 

anchorage  in  every  part,  ninety  miles  long,  and 
forty-five  miles  wide,  completely  land-locked,  the 
only  other  issue  but  that  we  are  approaching  be- 
ing the  entrance  at  the  southern  point  of  Trini- 
dad, and  agreeal>ly  named  Boca  del  Sierpe — the 
Serpent's  Moutli — where  C(jlumbus  had  a  very 
serious  scare.  The  water  nuiy  be  called  fresh, 
to  distinojuish  it  from  the  salt  of  the  sea,  but  it 


94  THE  DRAG  ON '8  MOUTH. 

is  not  nice  for  drinkiiiiii;,  and  rather  niiproiiiis- 
ing  for  bathing-  purposes.  The  bay  is  a  "  dolo- 
rous inland  sea,"  land-locked  by  the  island  of 
Trinidad  on  the  east,  and  the  main  land  of 
Venezuela  on  the  other.  The  main  land ! 
Tierra  firma  !  This  was  the  goal  of  the  hopes 
of  Columbus,  of  Raleigh  and  his  great  Eliza- 
bethan co-adventurers.  Here  were  the  scenes 
of  the  matchless  history  of  Amyas  Lee.  We 
are  now  n^errily  slidinjj:  throuij^h  the  lauirhinir 
sea  where  nearly  four  hundred  years  ago  the 
little  caravels  of  the  discoverer  for  the  first  time 
bore  him  towards  '*  a  fair  and  beautiful  coast, 
covered  with  stately  forests,"  just  as  it  is  now. 
AVe  pass  between  the  lofty  wooded  cliffs,  which, 
rising  sheer  from  the  sea,  form  the  three 
"  mouths  "  the  Dragon  affords  to  the  navigator, 
and,  finding  ourselves  almost  becalmed  under 
the  great  mountains,  had  a  long  opportunity  of 
thoroughly  enjoying  the  rich,  luxuriant,  w^ild 
and  varied  scenery  that  surrounded  us.  On  one 
hand  the  mountains,  valleys,  and  cultivated 
plains  of  Trinidad;  on  the  other  the  high 
mountains  of  Cumana,  crowned  with  vaporous 
fleecy  clouds ;  savage,  mysterious,  and  impene- 


PORT  OF  SPAIN.  05 

trablc ;  clothed  from  top  to  bottom  with 
immense  trees;  the  end  of  the  great  chain, 
according  to  Humboldt  {A/i^ic/ite/i  der  Natur)^ 
of  the  Andes  of  Peru.  Tliese  mountains  end 
in  a  long  cape,  which  is  met  by  the  mountains 
of  Trinidad,  the  Bocas  de  Dragone  lying 
between,  and  seem  to  prove  Humboldt's  belief 
that  the  island  l^elongs  to  the  shore  of  the  con- 
tinent, rather  than  to  the  system  of  the  AVest 
India  Islands.  It  is  im])ossible  to  ade(puitely 
describe  the  enchanting  land  and  water  views 
that  Qj:>ened  before  us  as  we  slowly  sailed  along 
under  tlie  mountain's  shadow,  until  late  in  the 
afternoon,  when  we  cast  anchor  in  the  harbor 
of  Port  of  Spain,  the  capital  of  the  island, 
l)uilt  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains,  on  the  ugly, 
Ihit,  muddy  shores  of  the  gulf.  The  river 
Caroni  pours  out  its  lilthy,  crocodile-haunted 
waters  just  below  the  town,  and  forms  a  low, 
uidiealthy  delta  of  alluvium,  covered  with  the 
dismistino:   mani^rove   trees.     The  site  of   the 

O  O  o 

town  is  decidedly  unprepossessing  as  seen  from 
the  harbor. 

As  we  sit  in  the  cool  moonliglit,  on  deck,  I 
can't  help  thinking  that  hundreds  of  years  be- 


96  NIGGERS  AGAIN. 

fore  the  Englishman  came,  scaring  the  Don  into 
burning  his  great  fleet,  and  took  possession  of 
this,  the  largest  of  the  islands,  a  very  lively  kind 
of  warfare  was  kept  up  by  the  savage  aborigines. 
Notwithstanding  the  holy  name  given  it  by  the 
Spanish  explorers,  Columljus  had  a  very  naive 
method  of  bestowin«*  the  blessino-s  of  Chistian- 
ity  upon  his  discoveries,  lie  landed,  planted  a 
cross,  called  the  place  after  some  saint,  pei-hajis 
said  a  mass,  and  then  went  on  his  way  rejoic- 
ing. The  new  discovery  had  thus  become 
Christian,  w^hich  did  not,  however,  seem  to  pre- 
vent them  from  killing  and  eating  each  other, 
just  as  before. 

December  ISt/i. — AYe  landed  eai-ly  this  morn- 
ing to  visit  the  town,  which,  though  large,  spa- 
cious, and  busy,  still  retains  the  cpiaint  Span- 
ish appearance,  which  denotes  its  original  own- 
ership. We  walked  about  under  the  guidance 
of  the  consul,  staring  at  the  shops,  and  noticing 
the  squalor  and  semi -nudity  of  the  negro  popu- 
lation. The  British  character  never  seems  to 
amalgamate  well  with  the  African  race,  it  ap- 
pears to  render  them  cross  grained  and  hideous 


THE  GENTLE  COOLIE. 


97 


of  aspect,  while  the  combination  of  the  French 
and  the  negro  makes  a  delightful  mixture — this 
I  noticed  particularly  at  Martinique.  But  the 
labor  of  this  island  is  mostly  carried  on  by  Hin- 
doo coolies,  who  form  a  very  gi-eat  and  advan- 
tageous   contrast   to    the    indigenous    darkey. 


Coolies  at   Work. 


They  are  a  thin,  lithe,  long-haired,  copper-color- 
ed people,  very  cleanly,  with  handsome  delicate 
features,  great  deportment,  and  carefully  pre- 
serving their  Hindoo  costume,  if  such  slender 


D8 


ORNAMENTS. 


siii:;gestioiis  can  be  digiiilicd  by  that  name. 
The  women,  when  not  adorned  with  rings  in 
tlieir  noses,  ai-e  i)rettj,  and  wear  gold    and  sil- 


Coolie  and  ITegro. 


ver  bangles,  necklaces  and  anklets,  and  brace- 
lets above  the  elbow :  thev  also  indnl£:e  in  <ror- 


PORT  OF  jSPAIK  99 

geoiis  but  always  liarmoiiiziug  colors.  The 
employ ineiit  of  this  class  is,  I  understand,  still 
an  experiment,  but  being  intelligent  and  thrifty, 
tliey  are  gradually  becoming  proprietors  in  a 
small  way,  and  seem  much  superior  to  the 
African,  tliough  without  tlie  enormous  strength 
that  the  latter  possesses. 

The  environs  of  the  town  are  quite  charming. 
All  the  handsomest  residences  surround  the 
Savanna,  which  is  the  fashionable  promenade, 
race  course  and  parade  ground,  and  we  visit 
ed  the  Governor's  houses  and  gardens,  and 
some  other  exquisite  gardens,  all  filled  with  the 
loveliest  tropical  trees  and  flowers.  Here  we 
met  the  bread-fruit  tree  and  the  mango  ;  but 
the  orchids  were  evidently  the  great  pride  of 
their  ownej-s,  and  yet  they  are  simply  collected 
fi'om  the  forests  or  "  high  woods,"  as  they  are 
called. 

A\^e  dined  pleasantly  with  the  consul  and 
a  medico  from  New  Yoi'k,  who  is  at  present 
wasting  his  sweetness  on  the  coolies,  though 
far  too  good  a  fellow  to  languish  in  these  hot 
climes.  The  great  trouble  in  yachting  among 
these  islands,  lies  in  obtaining  provisions — not 


100  PROVISIONS. 


vegetables,  for  the  markets  are  crowded  with 
them — nor  fViiir,  for  it  abounds  in  infinite 
variety,  lusciousness  and  cheapness — but  meat 
is  only  obtained  dripping  from  the  freshly 
killed  beast  and  must  be  eaten  the  same  day. 
We  modify  the  inconvenience  a  little  by  carry- 
ing live  stock,  such  as  chickens,  ducks,  pigeons, 
turkeys,  etc.,  and  our  menagerie  has  now  i-eceiv- 
ed  the  additionof  two  black  pigs,  (all  pigs  are 
black  in  the  AVest  Indies,  probably  from  associa- 
tion) playful  and  ignorant  of  their  fate: — they 
are  rather  beyond  the  white-sou  led  innocence 
of  the  sucking  pig,  and  yet  are  mere  piglets  or 
porkerines.  The  fishermen  come  alongside  every 
morning  bringing  excellent  little  fish,  and  inva- 
riably try  to  tempt  us  with  huge  saui-ians,  the 
very  Gogs  and  Magogs  of  lobsters.  The  only  edi- 
ble game  here  is  the  Lajyo,  (the  doctor  has  a  live 
one  in  his  back  garden,  but  as  a  pet  and  not  for 
domestic  purposes).  This  queer  creature  is  a 
compound  of  the  hare,  the  beaver,  and  the  tom- 
cat, yet  is  amphibious.  It  reminded  me  so  of 
the  "  slitliy   toves  "  in    "  Jabberwock,"   that    I 

couldn't  touch  it,  but  C said  it  wasn't  very 

nastv. 


CHOCOLATE.  101 

l>ecemher  l^th. — A  quiet  morning  on  board 
with  few  visitors.  In  the  afternoon  we  went 
up  to  the  reservc'ir,  a  drive  of  four  or  five  miles 
beyond  the  Savanna,  through  the  most  beauti- 
ful ravine  densely  wooded,  and  bordering  the 
road  with  orange  groves  and  plantations  of 
cacao,  interspersed  with  great  copses  of  the 
"  king  of  grasses,"  the  graceful  bamboo.  The 
cacao,  of  which  chocolate  is  made  bears  the 
gracious  name  of  Theobroma^  God's  food,  and 
is  a  very  singular  tree.  Planted  in  rows,  it 
bears  a  dense  dark  foliage  through  which 
glisten  the  long  red  and  yellow  pods  of  fruit, 
which  also  shoot  out  of  the  trunk  or  root,  with- 
out the  pretense  of  a  twig  or  leaf  near  them. 
As  the  tree  recpiires  sun  in  winter  and  shade  in 
sunnner,  each  row  is  alternated  with  a  row  of 
the  Bol^  Immortelle^  a  beautiful  lofty  tree 
which  conveniently  leaves  in  the  summer,  and 
in  winter  is  covered  wnth  large  red  blossoms 
only.  These  plantations  which  form  the  chief 
industry  of  the  ishmd,  consequently  add  a  rich- 
ness and  beauty  indescribable,  to  the  landscape. 
The  town  is  surrounded  by  dreadful  back  slums 
wdiere  the  colored  people  live,  but  the  squalor 

LIBRARY 

UNIVERSTTY  OF  CATTFORNTA 


102 


TUB  OALLINAZO. 


and  filth  are  so  palliated  by  the  beautiful  pal  ins, 
plantains,  or  tamarind  trees  that  start  up  every- 
where among  them,  that  the  nastiness  of  it  all 
does  not  strike  one  like  the  grim  hoiTors  of 
Mackerel ville  or  little  Dublin.  The  streets  are 
liaunted,  too,  by  evil  spirits,  shrouded  in  the  form 
of  the  corleait^  a  kind  of  turkey-buzzard,  only 


i^"C 


Fowl  JProceediiigs. 


more  so  ;  they  have  a  perj)etual  contract  for  the 
offal  of  the  town,  and  are  allowed  to  roost  all 
over  the  houses;  they  are  black,  hideous  and  as 
impudent  as  a  Bim. 

C came  back  later  from  an  excursion  in 

the  mountains  with  the  Doctor,  bi-imful  of  en- 
thusiasm at  the  beauty  of  the  scenery  and  the 


PITCH  LAKE.  103 


beauty  of  the  coolinas — especially  the  latter. 
This,  then,  is  tlie  result  of  those  deleterious 
readings  on  the  voyage  down  ! 

December  %Hh. — Early  this  morning  we  got 
under  way,  and,  accompanied  by  the  most 
obliging  of  consuls,  Mr.  Fulton  Paul,  sailed 
about  tliirty  miles  down  the  coast  to  Point  la 
Brea,  a  long  promontory  on  the  west  shore, 
where  the  celebrated  Pitch  Lake  is  situated. 
As  we  glided  along  through  the  smooth  but 
foul  water,  we  had  a  capital  view  of  the 
detached  cliffs  of  the  Dragon's  Mouths,  where 
the  ocean  first  broke  the  rocky  bulwark  aud 
made  an  island  of  Trinidad.  About  noon  we 
landed  by  beaching  the  boat  in  a  heavy  surf, 
which  tumbled  us  all  out  in  a  ridiculous  man- 
ner, and  wetted  us  completely  through. 

The  instant  one  lands,  pitch  prevails.  The 
pebbles  even  on  the  beach  are  pitch,  and  the 
few  inhabitants  who  came  down  to  meet  us 
were  pitchy,  and  of  the  color  of  that  defiling 
substance.  We  had  about  a  mile  to  walk,  ac- 
companied by  a  guide  and  two  niggers  bearing 
a  pitchy  plank,  which  was  shortly  to  come  into 


104  PITCH  LAKE. 


play.  I  also  carried  my  gun.  Our  road  lay 
between  great  banks  of  lovely  flowers,  roseaux, 
and  groo-groo  palms.  The  day  was  perfectly 
delightful,  a  fresh  sea  breeze  tempering  the 
heat,  and  we  went  in  for  a  regular  school-boy 
scamper. 

The  black  surface  of  this  extraordinary  lake 
is  seamed  in  every  direction  with  pools  of 
water  and  crevasses,  some  of  great  depth.  The 
shallow  ones  we  waded  through,  and  at  the 
deep  ones  the  plank  came  into  requisition. 
Here  and  there  from  the  black  bosom  of  the 
pitch  rise  small  islets,  covered  with  beautiful 
trees,  shrubs  and  flowers,  tufts  of  wild  pine- 
apple and  aloes,  the  trees  ornamented  with 
bizarre  orchids,  and  everywhere  radiant  buttei'- 
flies,  and  birds  of  exquisite  plumage,  some  of 
which  I  shot,  with  wild  ideas  of  taxidermy,  and 
afterwards  greatly  regretted  the  useless  de- 
struction of  such  brilliant  creatures — the  only 
nsef  ul  deaths  were  those  of  some  plover — while 
absurd  birds  like  robins  flew  about  us,  shout- 
ing "  Qic'est  qiCil  dit^  qii^est  quHl  dit^^'^  from 
which  they  are  named. 

L became  imbued    with  a    sportsman's 


A  REGULAR  SCAMPER.  105 

ardor,  and  taking  the  gun,  with  his  eyes  fixed 
on  his  pre}',  waded  into  a  crevasse,  and  suddeji- 
\y  disapj3eared  under  water,  waving  the  gun 
alx)ve  the  surface.  Ten  minutes  on  the  hot 
pitch,  however,  dried  his  clothes.  In  the  mid- 
dle of  the  lake  we  found  a  large  space,  perhaps 
half  an  acre,  of  pitch,  boiling  and  bubbling  as 
if  hot  from  the  infernal  cauldron,  and  at  an- 
other spot  we  found  the  surface  so  hot  as 
to  be  very  uncomfortable  even  through  our 
shoes,  while  the  barefooted  niggers  were  kept 
]"idiculouslj  leaping  up  and  down  like  the  cele- 
brated dancing  turkeys. 

Treatises  have  been  written  and  theories  form- 
ed on  the  origin  of  this  strange  freak  oi  nature,, 
l)ut  it  still  remains  an  unexplained  plienonienon. 
Humboldt  says  {Ansichten  der  Natur^  that  it  is 
"  an  aggregating  mass  formed  from  a  cosmical 
gaseous  fluid."  This  is  a  very  good  thing  to 
start  with,  but  a  scientific  description  would 
lead  to  awful  language,  with  such  an  axiom  as 
a  leader — "oscillating,"  "upheaved,"  "fissur- 
ed "  are  a  few  of  the  scientific  plums  one  could 
bring  in — but  this  is  not  a  treatise. 

We  walked  back  tired  and  hunirrv 


106  SNAKES. 


a  bright  look-out  for  snakes,  with  which  the 
place  is  infested.  The  coral  snake,  a  beautiful 
poisoner,  and  the  boa-constrictor  are  all  about 
here,  and  I  found  the  niggei-s  knew  of  the  fabled 
amphisboena,  the  double-en der,  and  one  of 
the  plank  carriers  had  run  away  from  one,  very 
ingeniously  fleeing  from  him  at  right  angles, 
gaining  time  by  puzzling  his  snakeship  as  to 
which  end  to  run  at  him  with.  I  didn't  quite 
believe  the  nigger  though.  Plenty  of  alligators 
reside  in  these  pleasant  regions  too,  and  as  we 
traced  our  way  back  along  the  beach,  our  guide 
pointed  to  tracks  of  this  creature — but  I  knew 
in  my  heai't  they  were  dog  tracks  ! 

On  reaching  the  schooner  we  at  once  got 
nnder  way  and  beat  np  to  San  Fernando,  the 
second  largest  town  of  the  island,  situated  near 
a  large  and  fertile  plain  covered  with  sugar 
cane.  It  is  apparently  a  central  market  for 
parrots  as  every  individual  inhabitant  has  a 
"  polly  "  to  sell — each  supposed  to  possess  super- 
natural talent.  The  streets  are  quaint,  tumble- 
down houses  like  this,  the  homes  of  the  centi- 
pede, and  the  gentle  tarantula. 


SAJV  FERNANDO. 


107 


At  San  Fernando. 


Deceinber  ^Ist. — AYe  received  a  very  early 
visit  from  Mr.  Bourne,  the  manager  of  the 
usine  and  siio^ar  estates  belono-inor  to  it  at  San 
Fernando.  This,  which  is  known  as  the  Usine 
Centrale,  is  the  largest  in  the  AVest  Indies,  even 
larger  than  those  at  Martinique  or  Barbadoes, 
and  grinds  the  sugar  for  all  the  surrounding 
estates,  besides  those  belonging  to  it.  It  is,  of 
course,  ownod  by  a  joint  sto^k  company.  We 
were  very  desirous  of  inspecting  it,  and 
although  unfortunately  the  grinding  season  had 
not  begun,  Mr.  Bourne  came  to  conduct  us  over 


108  THE  IND  USTMIO  US  ANT. 

it,  with  planter's  hospitality  inviting  its  to 
breakfast  at  his  charming  house  half-way 
between  tlie  town  and  the  tcsine.  After  a  very 
agreeable  morning  we  visited  the  works,  and 
from  tlie  passive  boilers,  flywheels,  pumps  and 
paraphernalia  tried  to  gain  an  idea  of  the  form 
and  manner  of  making  sugar,  molasses  and 
rum.  I  was  more  amused  though,  with  the  perr 
formance  of  a  flourishing  colony  of  ants,  known 
as  parasol  ants,  from  the  fact  that  each  individ- 
ual carries  a  leaf  in  his  mouth  which  shades  his 
back.  These  luxurious  insects  on  being  dis- 
turl)ed,  rush  into  tlieir  holes  and  bring  out  a  lot 
of  very  large  chaps  with  big  heads  and  tremen- 
dous nippers,  who  at  once  assume  an  attitude 
of  self-defense,  being  in  fact  the  bullies  of  the 
establishment;  while  the  gentle  parasol  bearer 
stands  aside  to  watch  the  fun.  This  is  almost 
as  surprising  as  Sir  John  Lubbock's  statement 
that  some  tribes  keep  milch  cows  and  also  an 
old  beetle  whom  they  worship  as  an  idol. 

On  our  return  to  San  Fernando  we  spent  an 
hour  or  two  at  the  hospital  with  the  resident 
surgeon,  and  inspected  some  singular  cases 
among  the  negroes,  mostly  caused  by  stai'vation 


THE  CHIGOE. 


109 


or  neglect.  I  saw  among  them  a  boy  whose  toes 
were  almost  destroyed  by  ulceration,  caused  by 
neglect  of  that  insufferable  pest,  the  chigoe. 
This  almost  microscopical  little  wretch  burrows 
into  the  flesh  and  deposits  a  bag  of  eggs,  which 
then  have  to  be  very  carefiilly  picked  out  with 
a  needle,  as  breakage  would  ensure  another 
batch.  The  niggers  are  very  expert  at  this 
small  surgery. 

What  with  chigoes  and  ants,  scorpions,  centi- 
pedes,  tarantulas   and  other   tropical    pests,  I 


Centipede. 

would  be  quite  willing  to  compromise  on  the 
mosquito.  I  extract  the  following  from  the 
Edinburgh  Review  to  sliow  that  I  at  any  rate 
don't  exaggerate,  and  if  it  looks  like  it,  Sydney 
Smith  is  to  blame ; 


no 


DOMESTIC  AMMALS. 


"  The  hcte  rouge  lays  tlie  foundation  of  a 
trciiiciKloiis  ulcer.  In  a  nioinunt  you  are  coxcred 
witli  ticks;  Hies  i;ct  entry  intu  y(»ur  mouth, 
your  nose ;  you  eat  Hies,  drink  ilies,  and  breathe 
Hies;  lizards,  eoekroaehes  and  snakes  get  into 
your  bed;    ant;?  eat    up  tlie  books;  Beorpions 


St'cyrj/inn, 


Btin:^  you  (tii  the  foot.  Everythini^  l)ites, 
Ptini^s  or  bruises:  every  second  you  arc 
wounde<l  l»y  some  j^iece  of  an  in  ml  life.  An 
insect  \vith  eleven  lei^  is  swinmiin:;  in  your 
tcacuj) ;  a  nondescri])t  with  nine  wini^^s  is 
struc^glinj;^  in  the  small  beer;  or  a  cater])il]ar, 
with  several  d<^)zcn  eyes  in  its  belly,  is  stra<r<;lini^ 
over  the  bread  and  butter.     All  nature  isal've 


BACK  AGAIN, 


111 


and  seems  to  be  »jjatheriiig  her  entomological 
hosts  to  eat  yon  np  as  you  are  standing,  out  of 
your  coat,  waistcoat  and  breeches  !  "  Jileii  que 


TaraiUula. 

We  wound  up  tlie  evening  ])y  an  extremely 
jolly  dinner  at  tlie  house  of  the  mayor,  and  a 
number  of  the  male  guests  escorted  us  back  to 
the  8ch(X)ner  in  the  police  boat,  illumiiKited  by 
the  most  superb  moon  I  think  even  tJie  tropics 
can  exhibit. 

Drcetnher  22^/.— We  ran  l)ack  to  Port  of 
Spain  this  morning  and  spent  the  day  in  most 
enjoyable  silent  rest.  A  dinner  i)arty  in  tlio 
evening  took  us  ashore,  and  we  were  afforded 
a  nice  idea  of  the  moral  amusements  of  the  nig- 


112  BLUE  BASIN. 


gers,  who  are  getting   more  noisy  and  obstrep- 
erons  as  Christinas  draws  near. 

Decemher  2Sd. — The  Prussian  war  brio;"Un- 
dine  "  having  run  in  liere,  we  played  a  return 
dinner  match,  and  ended  a  peaceful  day  in  a 
very  cheerful  manner. 

Decemher  2Uh. — "We  went  ashore  soon  after 
daylight,  to  enjoy  an  excursion  that  had  been 
arranged  for  lis  to  the  Blue  Basin,  which  lies 
about  twelve  miles  from  Port  of  Spain  in  the 
lovely  valley  of  Marival.  We  started  off  on 
horseback,  and  as  soon  as  we  cleared  the  Savan- 
na met  with  a  succession  of  delightful  views, 
all  bounded  by  the  mountains  and  the  high 
w^oods.  Our  road  lay  at  first  through  well-cul- 
tivated cacao  plantations,  with  the  industrious 
coolies  all  at  work,  and  occasionally  a  group  of 
the  real  Chinese,  some  of  whom,  by  the  bye, 
own  property  and  employ  their  Hindoo  neigh- 
bors; then  over  a  high  mountain;  then  down 
into  a  valley,  picking  our  way  among  boulders 
and  all  manner  of  precipitous  places,  shaded 
by  great  dark  trees  and  the  soft  green  of  the 


THE  WATERFALL. 


113 


plantains,  until  we  arrived  at  the  Blue  Basin, 
which,  as  its  name  indicates,  is  a  very  pic- 
turesque   hollow   scooped  out  of  the  mountain 


\N\:v^V/> 


John  Chinaman. 


side,  and  fed  by  a  feathery  waterfall  coming 
down  fifty  feet  from  its  stony  furrow  worn 
throucrh  the  heart  of  the  hio-h  woods. 


114  A  BATH. 


I  wish  I  could  fairly  describe  the  luxuriance 
of  lofty  trees,  aud  clin2:in<x,  trailiuir,  waviiiir 
vines,  creepers  and  parasites,  all  flowers  and 
"bloom — flowers,  too,  that  look  like  huge  butter- 
flies and  huge  butterflies  that  look  like  flowers. 
The  best  description  I  know  c>f  is  that  by  a  true 
and  devout  lover  of  nature — Charles  Kingsley. 
We  sat  down  to  breakfast  alfresco,  surrounded 
on  all  sides  by  mountains  clothed  as  1  have 
tried  to  picture  forth,  but  I  previously  took  a 
'•header"  into  the  deliciously  cold  spring  watei 
of  the  basin  and  had  a  good  swim,  though  it 
was  disas^reeable  to  dress  while  eno-afred  in  a 
vigorous  dispute  with  a  populous  colony  of 
ants,  which  had  discovered  my  shirt  and 
established   aggressive  outposts. 

Our  ride  back  was  perhaps  a  little  fatiguing, 
not  to  mention  a  certain  loss  of  cuticle  which 
impedes  graceful  motion,  but  this  did  not  pro- 
vent  us  from  going  ashore  at  night  to  keep 
Christmas  eve.  As  we  rode  through  the  stj-eets 
at  night  to  our  friend's  house,  we  were  met  by 
innumerable  and  pressing  solicitations  from  the 
more  than  joyous  coffee-colored  population  to 
assist  them  in  a  Merry  Christmas.     This  season 


CimiSTMAS  DA  Y.  115 

seciiis  to  remove  all  the  mild  restraints  of  civili- 
zation from  the  dark  skinned  races. 

Deceinber  25^/l — Christmas  Day — we  do  not 
liear 

' '  The  clear  churcli  bells  ring  in  the  Christmas  morn  ;  " 

but  the  nif^irei's  ashore  have  been  makin<j  niirht 
hideous, "with  their  bowlings,  fireworks  and  guns, 
worse  than  a  bad  attack  of  July  -ith.  And  this 
niorniui!:  they  seem  to  be  all  drunk — men  and 
wumen.     AYe  went  ashore  and  found  Mr.  B 


waitinoj  with  his  carriaore  to  drive  us  out  to  the 
valley  of  Santa  Cruz,  about  ten  miles  oif,  to  visit 
Sir  Joseph  Xeedham  who,  besides  behig  Chief 
Justice  of  the  island,  is  a  very  successful  planter 
of  cacao,  and  his  plantation  adjoins  that  of  Mr. 

B . 

Our  drive  led  us  through  a  more  cultivated 
country  than  the  visit  to  the  Blue  Basin,  and  we 
passed  crowds  of  holiday  keepers,  negroes  and 
coolies,  the  former  mostly  drunk,  and  the  latter 
gorgeously  attired  after  their  picturesque  fash- 
ion. Although  the  island  belongs  to  the  English, 
all  the  negroes  speak  the  regular  Martinique 


116  A  PLAYSTATION. 

French  jpatois,  and  I   envied  Mr.  B the 

facility  with  which  he  sj^oke  the  preposterous 
lino-o. 

Sir  Joseph  received  us  with  planter's  hos- 
pitality, and  took  a  great  deal  of  trouble  to 
show  us  the  method  of  drying  and  preparing 
the  bean.  He  is  reputed  to  be  a  most  success- 
ful planter,  and  both  he  and  Mr.  B sell  their 

entire  crop  to  the  eminent  and  advertising  Epps. 

We  wandered  around  the  shady  plantation 
admiring  the  great  gold  pods,  and  the  gor- 
geous Bois  hnw.ovtelle.  But  when  we  came  to 
the  revocare  gradum,  that  was  the  labor  and 
the  work.  Our  amiable  entertainer  had  involv- 
ed himself  in  a  labyrinth  of  trees  and  ^vater 
courses,  and  we  were  lost  on  his  own  domain. 
It  took  a  valuable  half -hour  to  find  our  way 
back,  for  as  we  were  to  join  a  Christmas  dinner 
party  in  town,  we  had  to  say  "  good-bye  "  and 
hurry  off  at  once. 

But  "  more  haste,  less  speed  "  proved  a  true 
proverb  om  this  occasion,  for  we  "  liadna  ridden 
a  league,  a  league,  a  league,  but  barely  twa," 
when  a  hind  spring  of  the  carriage  gave  way, 
and  we  had  to  walk  the  horses  into  tow^n,  pre- 


PLUAf  PUDDING.  117 

senting,  ourselves,  a  ridiculously  tilted  appear- 
ance, with  a  weak  tendency  to  slide  down  to 
leeward.  At  last  we  were  able  to  reach  tlie 
schooner,  rush  into  our  wedding  garments,  and 
drive  precipitately  to  the  Savanna  where  our 
amphitryon  lived.  Alas !  we  were  an  hour  and 
a  lialf  late.  But  though  the  repast  had  begun, 
we  made  up  for  lost  time  and  proved  that  the 
end  of  a  feast  is  better  than  the  beginning  of  a 
fray,  ^yhat  a  Christmas  dinner  we  had!  fit 
ending  to  our  stay  in  this  delightful  isle,  for  we 
leave  to-morrow  morn  ins:  for  Las^uavra. 

I  find  this  singular  entry  in  my  journal: 
"  2  A.  M. — Alas  !  and  woe  isme  !  What  shall 
I  do  with  G 's  plum  pudding?     Miserere  I  " 

December  26t/h. — "We  waited  all  the  morning 
for  the  consul,  who  is  to  accompany  us  to  Vene- 
zuela, to  come  oif  with  the  ship's  p'apers  and 
so  did  not  get  under  way  till  afternoon.  At  last 
up  goes  the  staysail,  and  away  we  go  towards 
the  Bocas  with  a  fair  wind.  Long  lines  of  peli- 
cans are  flying  along  in  shore,  with  the  absurd 
three  flaps  and  a  rest  that  distinguishes  them, 
and  numbers  of  man-of-war  birds  are  gliding 


118  AT  SEA  AGAIN. 

about  so  gracefully  that  oue  hardly  sees  the 
motion  of  a  wing. 

AVe  soon  reached  the  great  ocean  gates,  and 
haul  up  on  the  wind  into  a  most  revolting  sea. 
It  seems  quite  a  novelty  to  breast  the  great  roll- 
ers, and  pitch  about  once  more,  but  is  not 
quite  so  agreeable  to  our  friend  the  consul,  who 
falling  into  the  clutches  of  old  3fal  de  Mer,  can 
only  take  safety  in  flight.  lie  conquers  him  gal- 
autly,  too,  especially  as  w^e  can  soon  lay  our 
course  with  the  wind  more  free.  As  night  falls 
the  weatlier  becomes  very  squally,  aud  our  can- 
vas is  reduced  to  a  minimum  ;  it  looks  as  if  we 
were  going  to  have  one  of  the  little  "Joseph- 
ine's "  old-fashioned  nights. 

DecemlerTitli. — We^^(:Zhave  an  old-fashioned 
night  if  heavy  squalls  are  worth  mentioning, 
but  fortunately  they  blew  us  on  our  w^ay.  The 
sea  was  very  heavy,  but  in  the  morning  it  mod- 
erated, and  we  soon  had  all  sail  on  her.  First 
we  sighted  the  Testigos,  a  group  of  rocky  islands ; 
theu  we  coasted  along  Margarita  island,  thirty- 
eight  miles  loug,  with  a  very  picturesque  ridge 
of  mountains  about  5,000  feet  high. 


COSTA  FIRM  A.  119 


It  is  quite  enchanting  to  cruise  along  right  in 
the  track  of  the  okl  Genoese  ;  one  does  not  won- 
der that  lie  found  everything  so  fair.  His  most 
admirable  letters  were  written  to  their  Catholic 
majesties,  after  his  voyage  over  the  course  w^e 
are  now  visiting. 

We  had  light  winds  in  the  middle  of  the  day, 
but  in  the  afternoon,  a  fine  fair  breeze  set  in, 
and  we  enjoyed  a  soft  balmy  air  and  a  smooth 
sea. 

Deceinber  ^Stk. — We  found  that  during  the 
night  the  N.  E.  current  had  headed  us  off 
shoi-e,  so  we  had  to  change  our  course  and 
stand  in  for  the  land,  which  soon  rose  above 
the  horizon  in  mountains  towering  one  above 
the  other — beautiful,  grand  and  picturesque. 
We  o^ot  in  with  the  shore  about  fourteen  miles 
east  of  Laguayra,  and  as  we  run  along  with  a 
fair  wind  and  current  under  the  shadow  of  this 
end  of  the  immense  Cordillera,  extending  the 
length  of  a  mighty  continent,  I  must  quote 
from  Waslnngton  Irving's  life  of  Cokimbus,  a 
description  of  the  trip  from  Trinidad. 

"  Every  day  displayed  some  new  feature  of 


120  SOUTH  AMERICA. 

beauty  and  sublimity;  island  after  island  where 
the  rocks,  lie  was  told,  were  veined  with  gold, 
the  groves  teemed  with  spices,  or  the  shores 
abounded  with  pearls.  Interminable  ranges  of 
coast,  promontory  l^eyond  promontory,  stretch- 
ing as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach ;  luxuriant 
valleys  sweeping  away  into  a  vast  interior 
whose  distant  mountains,  he  was  told,  concealed 
still  happier  lands  and  realms  of  greater  opu- 
lence. 

"  When  he  looked  upon  all  the  region  of 
golden  promise,  it  was  with  the  glorious  convic- 
tion that  his  genius  had  called  it  into  existence, 
he  regarded  it  with  the  triumphant  eye  of  a 
discoverer." 

1  don't  think  we  can  do  anvthino;  of  that 
kind,  but  I  know  it  is  good  to  be  here. 
All  that  goes  to  make  the  character  of  a 
landscape,  the  outlines  of  the  mountains  rising- 
one  above  tlie  other  into  the  vanishing  distance, 
the  dark  shade  of  the  forests  that  clothe  them, 
the  i-usliing  torrents  falling  from  overhaiig- 
ing  cliffs,  are  so  different  from  our  northern 
experiences,  that  we  feel,  indeed,  in  a  new 
world. 


A  LOVELY  COAST.  121 

Columbus,  whom  I  fear  I  am  quoting 
rather  too  freely,  supposed  that  he  had  reached 
an  extension  of  the  Asiatic  continent  when  he 
iii'st  saw  these  beautiful  shores.  He  believed 
that  beliiud  these  mountains  lay  the  apex  of 
the  world,  reached  by  a  gradual  ascent  as  one 
penetrated  the  interior,  and  that  the  land 
would  be  found  to  increase  in  beauty  and  lux- 
uriance until  one  arrived  at  the  summit  under 
the  equator. 

This  he  imao^ined  to  be  the  noblest  and 
most  perfect  spot  on  earth,  possessing  a 
serene  and  heavenly  temperature,  with  no  de- 
forming storms  and  tempests  to  mar  its  tran- 
quility. In  fact  he  believed  this  to  be  the 
original  Garden  of  Eden — the  terrestrial  para- 
dise— the  original  abode  of  our  first  pareiits! 

All  this  and  more,  the  poetical  old  discoverer 
wrote  to  his  sovereigns  of  Castile,  and  one  ar- 
dently sympatliizes  with  his  fancies  on  first 
breathing  the  pure  delicious  air  and  viewing 
tlio  exquisite  scenery  of  the  coast  we  are  now 
skirting. 

At  length  we  catch  sight  of  a  fort  and  cita- 
del perched  high  upon  the  mountain,  and  at  its 


122  LAOUATRA. 


base  a  straggly  tovvn  stretching  along  the  beach, 
M'hicli  is  Laguayra,  the  principal  port  of  Yene- 
ziiela.  The  port  has  no  shelter,  in  fact  it  is 
not  a  port,  but  a  bad  open  roadstead,  and  tlie 
anchorage  is  considered  dangerous.  We 
anchored,  as  it  seemed,  out  at  sea  ;  and  certainly 
in  a  very  lieavy  swell  which  broke  in  immense 
rollers  on  the  beach.  Heavens !  how  we  did 
roll  and  pitch  while  w^aiting  for  the  health  offi- 
cer and  customs,  and  all  the  shipping  anchored 
round  us  were  curtseying  and  swaying  in 
unison. 

I  have  reason  to  believe,  from  the  behavior 
of  the  officials  after  their  inspection  of  the  ves- 
sel, and  from  a  conversation  I  chanced  to  over- 
hear, that  we  were  looked  upon  as  very  distin- 
guished visitors  indeed,  and  they  actually  sent  a 
swell  police  boat  to  take  us  off.  We  had  de- 
cided to  sleep  ashore,  and  start  in  the  cool  of 
the  morning  over  the  mountains  to  Caracas,  the 
capital. 

Landing  is  not  so  easy,  however,  as  it 
seems  at  a  distance,  especially  as  there  is  no 
dock,  but  a  little  jetty,  running  out  a  short  dis- 
tance, witli  a  flight  of  wooden  steps  at  tlie  end. 


LANDING  UNDER  DIFFICULTIES.         123 

Our  four  rowers  had  to  balance  tlieinselves  near 
the  steps  and  ride  over  the  rollers,  till  a  coni- 
l)aratively  smooth  wave,  when  they  rushed  the 
boat  up  to  the  steps,  and  we  had  to  jump  just 
at  the  right  moment.  But,  woe  to  the  man  who 
doesn't  know  his  own  mind — an  ounce  of  ir- 
resolution obliijces  him  to  sit  down  ao^ain  and 
row  off  to  wait  another  favorable  chance. 
iN'^eed  I  say  that  we  all  jumped  the  first  time  ? 

Deftly  making  our  way  through  bales,  boxes, 
and  laborino^  Indians  and  neo:roes,  w^e  were  con- 
ducted  through  the  quaint  old  Spanish  town, 
apparently  full  of  churches  and  mules,  to  the 
hotel,  which  stood  in  a  narrow,  hot  street,  all 
front  door  and  balcony.  Hot !  this  is  no  expres- 
sion for  the  sultry  penetrating  violence  of  the 
sun's  rays — which  not  only  illuminate  and  burn, 
but  actually  give  color  to  objects. 

Humboldt  was  right  in  saying  that  Laguayra 
is  the  hottest  town  in  the  world.  I  think  the  ho- 
tel itself  is  the  veiy  quaintest  object  in  the  town 
too,  and  looked  so  exactly  like  one  of  Dore's 
illustrations  to  "  Don  Quixote,"  that  I  should 
not  have  been  astonished  to  receive  an  mlUade 
from  Dulcinea  del  Toboso  leaning  over  Ox  e  of 


124  OIL  AND  OARLIC. 

the  rickety  wooden  galleries,  or  to  have  seen 
Sancho  Panza  grooming  Rosinante  in  a  corner 
of  the  inn  yard. 

From  our  window  we  had  a  good  view  of 
the  roadstead,  and  could  see  the  gentle  "  Jose- 
phine," rolling  away  and  turning  up  her  bright 
copper  at  every  surge.  As  soon  as  the  heat  di- 
minished, we  took  a  walk  along  the  newly  con- 
structed Esplanade,  a  charming  terrace  above 
the  ocean,  but  bordered  on  the  land  side  by 
horrid-lookiug  cabins  and  still  horrider  inhabit- 
ants, both  unlovely  and  unvirtuons. 

Returning  to  our  quarters,  we  sat  down  to  a 
supper-table,  in  company  with  several  Don 
Quixotes  and  Sancho  Panzas,  in  a  sort  of  hall, 
open  on  one  side ;  but  the  repast  was  too  plen- 
tifully adorned  with  oil  and  garlic  to  be  very 
palatable,  and  the  butter  was  a  singular  com- 
position of  a  deep  orange  color,  and  strange 
odor,  resembling  closely  the  beeswax  and 
turpentine  so  dear  to  the  house-cleaner.  The 
chocolate  was  excellent,  well  prepared  from 
tlie  fresh  bean  itself — it  deserves  the  name  of 
Theobroina.  Our  beds  were  only  a  cot  and  a 
sheet,  with  no   such  superfluity  as   a   mattress, 


A  FEW  FRIENDS. 


125 


consequently  not  so  many  fleas  as  I  expected  ; 
but  a  certain  scraping,  wrigglin^^  and  scamper- 


A  pleasant  evening  with  a  few  friendi. 

ing,  indicated  that  a  varied  assortment  of  do- 
mesticated animals  were  addino^  their  tribute  to 
the  voices  of  the  night.  However,  we  are  only 
to  occupy  them  till  four  a.m.,  as  that  is  the 
hour  for  our  start  over  the  mountains  to  Cara- 
cas. 

December  ^^th. — I  think  we  were  none  of  ns 
sorry  to  jum])  from  our  hard  cots  this  morning, 
judging  by  the  uncommon  alacrity  exhibited  at 
so  heathenish  an  hour.  The  early  part  of  tlie 
niirht  had  been  rendered  hideous  and  intoler- 


126  OFF  TO  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

able  by  an  iiiikiiown  Frenchman  in  the  room 
above  ns,  who  had  done  more  in  the  way  of 
varied  noises  with  a  pair  of  boots  and  a 
'*'  scrooping "    chair     than    belongs    to    mere 

mortals.     Then  C had  a  cot  wliich  played  a 

complicated  tune  every  time  he  turned  o\qy, 
and  he  did  so  frequently.  The  most  patient  of 
us,  at  times,  reviled  his  fate  in  terse  language, 
whose  echoes  rolled  from  soul  to  soul,  and  kept 
one  awake. 

Tlie  watches  of  the  m'glit  seemed  inter- 
minable, altliough  we  were  called  at  4  a.m., 
before  the  casement  had  commenced  to  grow 
a  glimmering  square,  and  before  5  we  were 
safely  stowed  in  a  coach,  the  shabby  picture 
of  a  vettura,  harnessed  with  three  horses 
abreast,  "  hiienos  cahallos  Senores  '' — which 
their  looks  belied  sadly.  The  other  sleej^ers  in 
the  hotel  probably  hailed  our  departure  with 
curses  as,  with  loud  whip  crackings,  we 
rattled  off  over  the  narrow  stony  streets  in 
the  dark  for  two  or  three  miles,  before  we 
turned  off  to  breast  the  first  spur  of  the  moun- 
tain we  had  to  ascend.  The  city  of  Caracas  is, 
I  believe,  the  site  of  the  first  mission  founded 


ASCENDING.  127 


l)y  the  Jesuits  in  tliis  country,  and  those  wise 
fathers  planted  it  in  a  valley  3,500  feet  above 
the  sea  level,  so  as  to  avoid  the  piratical  and 
other  ravagings  that  occasionally  took  place  on 
the  coast,  one  of  which  is  splendidly  described 
by  Kingsley,  in  "  Westward  Ho."  Hence, 
although  only  seven  miles  from  Laguayra  as  the 
crow  Hies,  tt^  reach  it  we  had  to  travel  twenty- 
five  miles,  crossing  the  crest  of  the  Pico  de 
Nigautar,  5,500  feet  high.  We  had  crawled 
some  distance  up  the  zigzag  ascent  before 
dawn  overtook  ns,  and  revealed  a  sight  in- 
describably magnificent.  During  the  whole 
ride  we  enjoyed  a  never-ending  succes- 
sion of  exquisite  views  of  lofty  mountains, 
deep,  wild,  inaccessible  ravines,  and  cloud- 
capped  peaks,  while  from  the  heights  and  on 
the  mountain  sides  immense  cacti  reared  their 
bizarre  forms  against  the  sky,  and  innumerable 
aloes  sent  up  their  shafts  of  brilliant  blossom. 
Standing  in  silent  admiration  of  the  scene, 
just  glorified  by  the  rising  sun,  one  saw,  far, 
far  below 

"  The  wrinkled  sea  beneath  him  crawl," 


128 


A  HALT. 


forever  breaking  on  the  mighty  continent  whoso 
northern  barrier  we  were  scaling. 

At  the  foot  of  the  hiMiest  range  we  had  to 


The  Mule  Leader. 


cross,  we  halted  at  a  little  j[)Osada  or  wayside 
inn,  a  house  of  call  for  the  mule  drivers  and 
cartmen  Avho   line   the   road,  night    and  day, 


THE  CARRYING   TRADE.  129 

proceeding  to  or  returning  from  Caracas.  I 
counted  over  two  hundred  of  them  on  the  way, 
and  then  got  tired  of  the  amusement.  Mules 
and  donkeys  under  pack  saddles  or  dragging 
carts,  and  loaded  with  the  most  heterogeneous 
collection  of  merchandise  the  imagination  of 
man  could  evolve  from  his  inner  consciousness. 


1)1  the  Pi'ocessiva. 


The  reason  of  this  perpetual  procession  is  that 
everything  except  sugar,  coffee  and  cacao,  and 
provisions,  has  to  be  hauled  over  the  mountain 
5 


130  CROSSING   THE  SUMMIT. 

to  the  capital.  Coal,  for  instance,  sells  there  for 
$40  a  ton,  and  all  valuable  things  in  proportion. 
^V^e  salute  each  mule-driver," in  return  to  his 
grave  "  Vaya  con  Dlos^''  unless  he  happens  to 
have  a  cart,  and  then  he  is  sure  to  be  asleep  in 
it,  trusting  to  his  sure-footed  beast  to  avoid  the 
precipices. 

But  all  this  while  we  are  waiting  in  \\\Qpos(ida 
for  our  refreshment,  which  consisted  of  boiled 
eggs,  coffee,  and  a  strange  block  of  granite, 
whicli  turned  out  to  be  particularly  nasty 
cheese.  The  eggs,  I  imagine,  were  the  produc- 
tion of  some  lean  hens,  gaining  a  precarious  ex- 
istence round  the  house,  as  on  our  clamoriufj:  for 
more  (how  hungry  we  were!)  the  very  unami- 
able  host  said,"i.V6>  t  en  go  mas  ^'^'^  so,  after  pay- 
ing a  tremendous  price  for  our  entertainment, 
^waput  on  our  overcoats,  so  cold  had  it  become, 
and  topping  the  last  steep  peak,  commenced 
descending  towards  the  capital. 

All  along  the  road  which,  in  its  windings,  is 
always  open  on  one  side  to  a  sheer  precipitous 
fall  into  the  ravine — in  fact,  as  remarked  by 
Humboldt,  it  is  very  much  like  crossing  the  St. 
Gothard — 1  had  noticed  little  piles  of  stones  with 


AT  THE  BARRIER.  131 

a  rude  cross  on  the  top.  Now  I  understood  that 
they  marked  the  spot  wliere  a  cache  had  tumbled 
over  with  its  occupants.  There  are  a  good  many 
crosses,  and  our  burly  conductor  had  a  Avoodeu 
leg,  the  result  of  a  minor  tumble. 

It  lias  been  said,  that  in  every  individual 
lurks  a  vein  of  true  c^enius.  The  ij^olden  thread 
in  our  driver  was  a  capability  of  driving  at  full 
speed  down  the  steep  inclines,  and  so  near  to  the 
unprotected  edge  as  to  cause  the  most  sickly 
smiles  to  appear  on  all  our  faces,  hiding  the 
dread  apprehension  that  after  all,  nothing  would 
be  left  of  us  but  a  little  pile  of  stones  and  a 
cross.  Yehement  expostulations  produced  a  tor- 
rent of  language  most  reassuring  but  quite  in- 
comj)rehensible  to  his  victims. 

AVe  pass  queer  outlying  huts  of  adobe,  and 
land  half  enclosed  by  tumble-down  mud 
walls.  At  last  the  path  becomes  smoother, 
more  level,  and  by  ten  o'clock  we  rattle  up  to 
the  ban-ier  and  halt  to  show  our  ^asctporta, 
about  which  the  authorities  are  very  strict,  as 
civil  war  is  progressing  in  a  very  lively  man- 
ner. The  guard  that  turned  out  to  receive 
us   seemed    good-looking    soldierly   men,   but 


132 


THE  OUARD. 


armed  with  guns  and  rifles  of  every  variety  and 
leni^th. 


Tfie  Guard  House. 

Passing  tlic  ban-ier  we  drove  through  quaint 


CJMACAS.  133 


narrow  streets,  catching  glimpses  of  residences 
sombre  enough  on  the  front,  but  with  beautiful 
interiors  and  with  lovely  gardens,  tlirongh  the 
great  Plaza,  and  at  last  pulled  up  at  the  hotel, 
where  we  secured  very  nice  apartments  on  the 
Jie3  de  Ohaussee  and  looking  into  the  street. 
AVe  were  early  enough  to  have  a  long  time  to 
wait  for  the  table  (Thote^  breakfast,  so  a  siesta 
was  declared  at  once — and  I  can  sit  down  and 
reflect  that  we  have  reached  the  capital  of  a 
great  South  American  republic.  Venezuela 
means  "little  Yenice,"  and  obtained  this  name 
from  Columl)us,  who  first  sailed  into  the  great 
gulf  of  Maracaibo,  and  discovered  in  its  waters 
and  islands  a  fanciful  resemblance  to  the  Yene- 
zia  of  his  native  land. 

From  the  time  that  the  South  A.merican  col- 
onies first  shook  off  the  yoke  of  Spain  in  1S12, 
and  disheartened  by  the  terrible  effects  of  the 
earthquake,  were  again  all  but  subdued,  a  long 
and  terrible  struggle  for  independence  ensued, 
in  which,  if  a  parallel  may  be  allowed,  Bolivar 
was  the  Washington,  and  Jose  Paez  the  Putnam 
of  the  battles,  ambuscades,  hair-breadth  escapes, 
and  deeds  of  valor,  which  still  form  the  topics 


134  GENERAL  PAEZ. 

of  conversation  round  tlie  camp-fires  of  the 
JJaneros.  Paez  was  a  special  favorite  witli  tliese 
plucky  fighters  and  hardy  riders,  and  the  song 
has  not  been  forgotten, 

"  De  todos  los  Generales  ciial  es  el  valiente  ? 
Mi  General  Paez  con  toda  su  gente  ! 
De  todos  los  Generales  cual  es  el  mejor  ? 
Es  mi  General  Jose  con  su  guardia  de  honor !  " 

Under  a  rough  form  of  provisional  govern- 
ment, this  determined  people  fought  against 
tremendous  odds,  patiently  enduring  all  forms 
of  hardship  and  suffering  till,  in  1S23,  Puerto 
Cabello  was  captured  and  Venezuela  was  pro- 
claimed a  fi-ee  republic.  It  is  natural  to  sup- 
pose that  after  such  a  long  struggle  the  people 
would  have  had  enough  of  fightiug,  but  in  fact 
the  country  has  been  more  or  less  in  hot  water 
up  to  a  very  late  period,  and  revolutions  and 
rel)ellions  have  succeeded  each  other  wn'th  short 
interruptions.  As  soon  as  an  officer  attains  a 
a  certain  rank,  if  he  can  only  reckon  upon  the 
adherenceof  a  respectable  following  of  soldiers, 
he  begins  to  think  of  deposing  the  President 
and  stepping  into  his  most  uneasy  shoes.     It 


THE  PRESIDENT  OF   VENEZULA.      135 

lias  seemed  as  if  they  were  actuated  by  avarice 
rather  than  ambition,  as  they  nsnally  levied 
large  contributions  and  invariably  pocketed  the 
Custom  Houses.  Of  course  their  rallying  cries 
were  always  liberty  or  lihertad^  frequently  two 
quite  different  ideas.  I  think  libertad  has 
never  been  a  jprincijyal  so  much  as  a  dissa- 
tisfaction. 

Of  a  very  different  character  is  the  President 
of  to-day,  Don  Antonio  Guzman  Blanco.  He  is 
a  man  of  noble  qualities  and  lofty  aspirations, 
and  notwithstanding  the  fetters  imposed  on  his 
acstions  by  the  prejudices  and  bigotry  of  parties, 
he  has  purified  the  govermnent,  pacified  the 
country,  and  beautified  the  principal  cities.  A 
man  of  high  education,  and  a  natural  statesman, 
he  has  been  the  first  to  surround  the  presiden- 
tial office  with  stability  and  respect.  It  has 
not  been  without  trouble  though,  and  even 
while  we  were  in  Caracas  he  was  in  Barsi- 
quimieto  (a  western  state)  with  14,000  men, 
giving  the  final  blow  to  the  last  insurrection, 
which  at  one  time  was  quite  formidable,  being 
fomented  by  the  exasperated  priesthood,  Avhose 
reliirious  houses  Blanco  had  abolished  and  who 


136  AREA  AND  POPULATION. 

brouiiht  niucli  inoiiev  and  strong]:  influences  to 
bear  aijains-t  liini.  The  neiichl^orinfj  island  of 
Cura9oa  was  tlie  headquarters  of  the  "  Bhies," 
as  tlie  insurgents  were  called,  and  in  that  phice 
were  niannfactured  the  surprising  pieces  of 
news  wdiicli  found  their  way  into  the  news- 
papers of  the  United  States.  This  great 
country  of  vast  resources,  producing  sugar,  cot- 
ton, coffee,  cacao,  indigo,  tobacco  and  othei 
spicy  things  in  fertile  profusion,  is  formed  of 
twenty  states,  three  territories  and  one  federal 
district.  Each  state  is  ruled  by  a  Governor, 
who  is  nn wisely  styled  "  President."  The 
whole  geographical  area  is  400,000  squai'c 
miles,  or  about  twice  the  size  of  France,  while 
the  population  amounts  only  to  1,785,000  souls. 
The  maimer  of  taking  the  census,  however,  is 
necessarily  imperfect,  but  the  scantiness  of  the 
population  can  l)e  traced  to  the  political  condi- 
tion of  the  country,  the  constant  struggle  for 
lihertad^  and  the  terribly  destructive  earth- 
quakes; banishment  and  epidemics,  too,  have 
done  their  share. 

Under  the  present  improved   condition,  the 
introduction    of    draina^re    to   the   cities,  and 


A  GOOD  noTEn.  137 

the  possibility  of  commercial  as  well  as 
})()liticiil  tranquillity,  the  cumitry  must  grow 
up  to  be  a  republic  of  the  greatest  conimercial 
importance.  Kailroads  are  projected  and  other 
signs  of  approaching  prosperity  are  not  want- 
ing, including  a  national  coinage,  which,  when 
perfected,  will  I  ho[XJ  put  a  stop  to  the  most 
dreadful  confusion  of  pesos  sencillos,  pesos 
Venesolccfios,  pesos  ftcertes  and  all  manner  of 
inventions  to  bother  and  harass  the  weary 
traveller.  As  I  make  an  end  of  recording 
these  things,  a  w^elcome  bell  announces  break- 
fast, and  I  must  say  that  the  hotel  is  the  most 
])erfect  in  its  api)ointments  and  table  that  I 
have  come  across  for  a  long  time. 

"We  were  delighted  with  a  repast  where  the 
plats  were  novelties,  cooked  with  refinement, 
and  which  ending  with  ji  celestial  cup  of  ciioc- 
olate,  enabled  us  to  receive  with  fortitude  the 
visits  of  a  number  of  people  brought  by  that 
indefatigable  introducer,  the  consul.  We 
strolled  about  the  town,  fl/t /led  round  the  sh()i)S, 
and  found  our  way  to  the  Plaza,  a  very  pretty 
square  planted  with  pahnas  reales  and  the 
''Jlamhot/ant^^''  and  adorned  in  the  centre  with 


13S  IN  THE  ENVIRONS. 

a  very  artistic  and  beautiful  bronze  eqnesti-ian 
statue  of  Bolivar,  presented  to  the  country  by 
the  President  Antonio  Guzman  Bhmco. 

The  weather  was  simply  delicious :  the  climate 
of  .Caracas  has  been  justly  called  a  perj)etual 
spring.  Standing  as  the  city  does  on  an  elevat- 
ed plateau  surrounded  by  still  higher  mountains, 
it  partakes  of  the  tropic  and  temperate  zones, 
and  would  produce  wheat  or  peaches,  but  that 
the  inhabitants  seem  to  prefer  planting  coffee. 
The  U.  S.  Minister,  Judge  Russell,  took  us  ont 
for  a  long  drive  in  the  afternoon,  through  a 
queer  little  Spanish  village  or  two,  past  many 
coffee  plantations,  one  of  which  we  visited,  pass- 
ing up  to  the  residence  through  beautiful 
grounds,  when  I  again  enjoyed  the  sight  of 
wonderful  orchids,  recognizing  particularly  the 
splendid  Flo7'  de  VEsjpiritu  Santo  {Peristcria 
elata) — the  flower  representing  a  heavenly  dove 
with  outspread  wings.  We  2)assed  alorig  the 
borders  of  the  great  fertile  plains  or  llanos^ 
which  extend  away  through  rich  provinces,  al- 
most to  the  borders  of  Brazil,  and  of  which  Ire- 
member  reading,  with  so  mnch  pleasure,  Paez's 
''  Wild    Scenes  in  South  America,"    all   tales 


THE  SILL  A  MOUNTAIN.  139 

of  adventure  in  these  great  plains,  where  the 
coffee  harvest  is  now  going  on,  aUhougli  the 
other  staple  prodiietions — tobacco,  indigo,  sugar, 
and  cacao  are  of  equal  importance.  The  in- 
habitants of  these  llanos,  or,  as  they  are  called, 
llaneros,  are  both  riders  and  fighters,  but  with 
Hibernian  indifference  they  will  esjwuse  any 
cause  that  will  give  them  the  arms  they  covet 
so  much. 

We  returned  by  the  road  we  came,  always 
under  the  now  deepening  shadows  of  the  Silla 
mountain,  and  skirting  his  buttress-like  spurs. 
The  mountain  ascends  abruptly  from  the  pla- 
,teau  8,500  feet — the  -first  half  covered  with 
short  grass,  then  a  zone  of  evergreen  trees,  re- 
flecting a  purple  light  in  the  sunset,  then 
crowning  all,  two  bare  i-ocky  domes,  which 
in  temperate  countries  would  be  covered  with 
snow.  These  domes  and  the  hollow  between 
them  give  the  mountain  its  name  (The  Sad- 
dle). 

The  buttressed  hills  and  spurs  at  its  foot,  re- 
minded me  of  the  method  employed  by  Colum- 
bus to  giv^e  Queen  Isabella  an  idea  of  Jamaica; 
be  crumpled  a  sheet  of  paper  in  his  hand,  and 


J  40  THE  BE  A  UTIES. 

partly  spreading  it  out,  the  hills,  valleys,  water- 
courses, etc.,  were  well  portrayed. 

Humboldt's  delightful  account  of  his  ascent 
of  the  Silla  in  1801,  to  be  found  in  his  "  Per- 
sonal Narrative,"  gives  one  a  sort  of  familiar 
interest  in  this  mountain,  whose  great  domes 
tower  over  the  city  into  which  we   are  return- 

In  the  evening,  after  an  admirable  dinner, 
we  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  some  of  the 
lovely  women  for  whicli  the  city  is  so  justly  cele- 
brated. Even  the  old  Conquistadores  tenderly 
related  the  beauty  and  grace  of  the  savages 
they  met  with  here,  but  tanto^  the  aborigines 
quantd,  the  goddesses  of  to-day,  whose  clear 
olive  pallor,  tender  coffee-colored  eyes,  and  lithe 
graceful  forms,  surpass  all  the  traditions  ;  think 
then !  that  they  speak  several  languages,  play 
classical  music,  wear  Worth's  dresses,  and  that 
in  their  hands  the  fan  is  a  revealed  language — • 
and  all  ideas  fall  short  of  the  dazzling  reality ! 
- — "  ask  me  no  more  !  " 

The  men  too,  are  handsome,  and  have  beauti- 
ful, large,  spaniel-like,  sad  eyes,  and  what  Balzac 
calls  "  cet  air  de  tristesse  dont  les  femmes  sont 


FLEAS. 


141 


si  souvent  les  dupesP  It  was  not  quite  safe 
to  be  out  late,  thougli,  for  the  half  savage 
soldiers  wlio  patrol  the  streets  are  quite  pre- 
pared to  shoot  unless  oue  can  rapidly  shoul, 
'^  Patria  y  federales,^^  whicli  is  the  cumbrous 
watchword  the  harmless  citizen  is  expected  to 
be  more  than  ready  with.  I  shudder  to  think 
what  might  might  hap^^en  to  a  confirmed 
stutterer. 

December  SOth. — ^yllat   a   niirht !      Fleas  I 


f  .  ^ 


tm 


Quia  non  Jlebit. 

they  came  as  the  winds  come  when  forests  are 


142    PROTECTION  FROM  EARTHQUAKES. 

rended,  "  not  in  single  spies,  but  in  battalions  ;  " 
tliej  feasted  on  ns,  they  dwelt  in  our  tents  and 
tliey  accompany  us  in  our  walks  regardless  of 
ammonia,  which  we  have  used  in  profusion,  as 
well  as  camphor,  with  w^hich  I  am  drenched  till 
I  remind  myself  of  a  country  funeral.  I  need 
hardly  say  that  we  got  up  very  early,  and 
walked  out  into  the  delicious  morning  air,  and 
round  the  balconied  streets,  w^here  I  observed 
that  the  inhabitants  build  their  houses  as  high  as 
if  there  were  no  hereafter  of  earthquakes  ;  they 
seem  to  take  no  lessons  from  the  fearful  past, 
and  yet  the  market-place,  some  large  convents 
and  other  buildings  still  stand  in  dilapidated, 
warning  ruins.  The  only  notice  they  take  of 
their  calamities,  as  I  observed  in  our  drive 
yesterday,  in  the  suburbs  particularly,  is  to 
place  each  house  under  the  patronage  of  the 
Virgin,  "  Impecado  concebida^''  or  a  saint, 
and  the  names  of  these  holy  ones  are  painted 
in  large  lettei-s  on  the  front,  as  "  nostra  Madrc 
del  Socorro,  San  Josef,  San  Vicente  de  Paula, 
San  Dimas  (the  penitent  thief)  and  lots  of 
others.  Some  houses  are  copper-fastened 
with  the  names  of  two  or  three  reliable  ones 


EARTHQUAKES.  143 


all  supposed  to  have  these  edifices  under  their 
particular  care  in  case  of  a  "  treinblador 

It  is  charming  to  read  on  the  spot  Humboldt's 
simj)le  and  beautiful  narrative  of  the  great 
earthquake  of  1S12,  which  laid  the  city  in 
ruins  and  destroyed  20,000  people.  In  de- 
scribing the  universal  terror  that  fell  upon  the 
inhabitants  he  says  :  "  A  number  of  marriages 
were  contracted  between  persons  who  had  neg- 
lected for  many  years  to  sanction  their  union 
by  the  sacerdotal  benediction.  Children  found 
parents  by  whom  they  had  never  till  then  been 
acknowledged ;  restitutions  were  promised  by 
persons  who  had  never  been  accused  of  fraud  ; 
and  families  who  had  long  been  enemies  were 
drawn  together  by  the  tie  of  one  common 
calamity."  So  that  it  seems  that  even  earth- 
quakes have  their  approj)riate  moral  and  pu- 
rifying influences. 

We  visited  the  churches  this  morning,  and 
found  services  going  on  in  them  all,  generally 
in  one  of  the  side  chapels  ;  the  decorations  are 
tawdry,  and  the  pictures  dauby  ;  each  chapel 
has  its  painted  wooden  saint,  or  ballet-dancing 
Virgin   made  up  of  dirty  muslin,  tinsel  crown 


144  cnuRcnES. 


and  spangles.  The  church  of  "  Merced  "  still 
has  its  entire  fccgade  riddled  with  bullets  and 
canister  shot,  quite  unrepaired  and  left  just  as 
Guzman  Blanco's  troops  defaced  it,  when  lie 
took  Caracas  in  April,  1870.  In  the  cathedral, 
we  found  a  picture  which,  though  in  a  shocking 
light  and  quite  neglected,  shone  out  like  a 
moon  among  the  dismal  works  of  ai-t  beside  it. 
It  was  a  mother  and  child  signed  Yelasquez  in 
every  brush-mark;  although  it  is  difficult  to 
imagine  how  a  picture  of  the  heaven-tauglit 
court  painter  could  have  reached  here. 

High  mass  was  being  celebrated,  very  nasal- 
ly intoned  by  a  negro  priest  with  a  very  white 
tonsure  and  a  wall  of  black  wool  all  around 
it,  and  a  feeble  organ  accompanied  his  wobbly 
chanting.  This  instrument  was  supplemented 
in  important  passages  by  a  tremendous  trom- 
bone blown  by  another  rather  breathless  nigger. 

We  strolled  about  the  narrow  streets  till 
breakfast  time,  at  short  intervals  going  through 
the  process  of  introduction  to  a  part  of  tlie 
population.  I  had  a  set  phrase  concocted  with 
great  difficulty  and  a  dictionary — '' Es  TYiuy 
triste  que  nosotros  no  hablar  Esj^anol — Ilabla 


RETURN  TO  LAG  U AYR  A.  145 

usted  Francese  f  This  led  to  a  rush  of  lan- 
guage "  as  when  a  river  level  with  its  dam,'* 
etc.,  to  which  it  was  only  necessary  to  say 
''' imicho  "^"^  at  intervals,  and  everything  was 
lovely.  Among  others  we  met  a  colored  gentle- 
man, a  near  relative  of  the  ace  of  spades,  who 
was  presented  as  General ,  with  a  whis- 
pered statement  that  he  was  high  in  command, 
and  at  the  same  moment  a  white  be2:o:ar  be- 
sought  ahns  of  him  and  us.  This  seems  to  do 
away  with  the  old  Spanish  laconic  :  "  Todohkm- 
co  es  caballeroy 

After  breakfast  and  a  siesta,   L ,  with 

the  restlessness  of  the  element  he  loves,  and 
dreading  the  more  introductions  in  store  for 
us,  began  to  collect  the  various  documents 
and  passports  to  enable  us  to  leave.  And  in 
the  afternoon,  with  a  tender  farewell  to  every- 
body, and  an  awful  sum  in  equations  before 
the  hotel  bill  could  be  adjusted,  we  got  into 
the  corpulent  carriage  with  the  three  liorses 
and  started  back  to  Laguayra.  Once  more  the 
exquisite  scenery  enchanted  us,  wliile  the  level 
rays  of  the  setting  sun  were  gilding  clouds  and 
peaks  far  below  us.     On  the  upper  heights  the 


14G  OIL  AND  OARLIC. 


eveiiiiig  silence  was  intense,  and  as  we  stopped 
for  a  moment  to  enjoy  tlie  scene,  I  caught  the 
echo  of  the  horns  of  Elfland  faintly  blowing  from 
cliff  and  scanr  in  the  already  shadowy  distance. 
It  took  ns  two  hours  less  to  return,  as  after  the 
highest  peak  is  crossed,  we  had  only  to  go  full 
speed  down  hill  all  the  way.  AVe  got  back  to  tlie 
Don  Quixote's  hostehy  by  7  o'clock,  and  after 
more  oil  and  garlick  sought  the  society  of  our 
fleas.  I  could  not  sleep — the  memory  of  beauti- 
ful women,  gorgeous  scenery.  Amy  as  Lee,  the 
Rose  of  Salterne,  and  some  one  at  home  lovelier 
than  she,  ruined  monasteries,  the  Inquisition — 
all  manner  of  incongruous  thoughts  stirred  in 
my  busy  brain,  while  througli  the  casement  came 
the  grand  monotone  of  the  sea,  moaning  out  tlic 
great  settled  sorrow  at  its  mighty  heart,  the  aw- 
ful dream  of  the  Deluge. 

Deceiriber  ZYst. — Cots,  musical  and  otherwise, 
also  the  ingenious  French  captain  overhead, 
were  our  portion  last  night,  supplemented  by 
a  visit  from  musquitoes.  AVe  spent  tlie  morn- 
ing in  a  series  of  introductions — in  offices  and 
in  the  street — to  shopkeepers  and  strangers,  to 


OUR  BILL  OF  HEALTH.  147 

ofKcials,  to  an  old  colored  woman,  to  a  young 
ditto,  to  any  and  everybody  that  our  guide, 
philosopher  and  friend  chose  to  select.  Our 
interviews  were  extremely  flat,  as  our  Spanish 
is  very  meagre. 

We  came  across  a  number  of  emigrants 
from  the  United  States  who  had  been 
induced  to  come  by  the  promise  of  high 
wages  ;  the  poor  fellows  could  get  no  work, 
couldn't  speak  a  word  of  the  language,  hadn't 
a  cent  among  them,  or  any  hope  but  that  of 
getting  to  the  mines,  which  is  not  a  cheerful 
prospect.  I  believe  they  would  have  starved 
to  death  but  for  the  humane  exertions  of  Mr. 
Henry  Kingan,  the  very  admirable  United 
States  consul  in  Laguayra.  He  did  us  a  very 
good  turn  too,  for  after  waiting  for  hours  to  see 
the  Spanish  consul  who  was  to  endorse  our  bill 
of  health,  wc  at  last  discovered  him  in  the 
shape  of  a  very  ngly  brown  little  man  with  the 
dirtiest  face  I  ever  saw.  lie  demanded  such  a 
tremendous  fee  for  his  endorsement,  that  we 
did  not  want  it  at  that  price,  whereupon  he 
tore  our  document  in  half,  and  danced  about 
with  rage.     Mr.  Kingan  got    us  another  one, 


148  FAREWELL  TO  VENEZUELA. 


while  the  little  man  was  trying  to  have  ns  ar- 
rested, and  we  got  off  to  the  schooner  without 
molestation. 

We  soon  hove  np  the  anchor  and  hoisted 
the  sails,  and  with  a  breeze  tliat  enabled  ns  to 
defy  a  barrel  of  Spanish  consuls,  we  departed 
from  enchanting  Yenczuela,  and  as  a  farewell 
I  wdll  record  a  little  story  they  tell  in  Caracas. 

"  You  must  know,  then,  that  a  few  years  ago 
Adam  obtained  permission  to  revisit  the  globe. 
He  first  alighted  in  Europe,  and  was  quite  lost, 
everything  w^as  so  changed.  His  bewilderment 
continued  until  he  readied  Venezuela,  then  at 
last  he  clapped  his  hands :  ^  Ah  !  ah  !  here  I 
am  quite  at  home,  this  is  exactly  like  tlie  gar- 
den of  Eden  I  was  turned  out  of  in  such  a 
hurry.' " 

January  1st,  1875. — The  happy  new  year 
sets  in  with  a  flat  glary  calm.  We  are  only 
about  twenty  miles  from  the  coast,  and  the 
mountains  loom  dai'k  on  the  brassy-  hot  horizon. 
The  schooner  curtseys  lazily  to  the  long  oily 
swell  that  reflects  back  every  rope  and  spar,  and 
plenty  of  great  crafty-eyed  sharks  glide  round 


AT  SEA.  149 


about  us,  occasionally  floating  up  to  the  surface. 
One  of  them  about  as  long  as  the  gig,  has  such 
a  strange  i-eseniblance  to  an  ennnent  Massa- 
chusetts lawyer  and  politician,  that  we  determine 
if  possible  to  capture  him ;  but,  like  his  great 
prototype,  he  is  too  wary  to  take  any  notice  of 
our  bait,  perhaps  we  ought  to  have  trolled  with 
a  spoon ! 

In  the  afternoon,  a  pleasant  breeze  springs 
up,  and  nightfall  finds  us  making  good  way  to- 
wards San  Domingo,  our  next  ()l)jective  point. 
We  have  been  compelled  to  abandon  our  visit 
to  Jamaica,  as  the  small-pox  is  raging  there,  and 
quarantine  is  abhorrent  to  our  souls. 

January  ^d.  —  Tearing  into  a  heavy  sea, 
reefed  down  fore  and  aft,  we  had  a  day  in  all 
respects  the  0]>posite  of  yesterday.  A7e  are 
rolling  and  waltzing  about,  and  the  water  flies 
over  us  ri<xht  merrilv. 

Soon  after  noon,  we  decide  to  omit  San  Do- 
minoro  from  our  cruise,  rather  than  be  as  uncom- 
fortable  as  we  are  likely  to  be  close-hauled 
across  a  strong  current;  and  as  we  liead  round 
for  Santiago  de  Cuba,  we  bring  the  wind  abeam 


150  FLYING  FISn. 


and  ease  the  craft  a  good  deal,  iiotwitlistaiiding 
a  very  heavy  beam  sea;  but  then  a  quiet  night 
is  a  desideratum  always. 

January  Sd. — Our  modest  desires  were  not 
granted  last  night,  for  we  had  heavy  squalls  in 
both  watches,  and  for  the  first  time  since  leav- 
ing the  North  Atlantic,  our  old  stand-by,  the 
main  trj'sail,  reappeared,  vice  mainsail  furled  ; 
but  this  morning  the  breeze  has  settled  into 
a  steady  blow,  so  we  turn  out  the  reefs,  set 
the  mainsail,  and  bowl  off  ten  knots  hand- 
somely. 

To-day  is  a  capital  specimen  of  sailing  in  the 
Caribbean  sea ;  exquisite  blue  water,  and  blue 
sky,  with  here  and  there  a  fleecy  cloud ;  our 
swelling  sails  bending  to  the  breeeze,  and  our 
gentle  "  Josephine  "  leaning  over  to  it,  curtsey- 
ing her  way  along,  scaring  the  flying-fish,  which 
jump  out  and  scurry  away  in  shoals  almost 
every  yard  we  go.  I  don't  believe,  though,  that 
they  are  all  frightened.  Sometimes  one  or  two, 
sometimes  a  hundred,  will  get  up  like  a  bevy 
of  quail,  and  whirr  off,  just  tapping  the  crest  of 
a  wave  for  a  wet,  and  I  have  seen  them  make 


SQUALLS. 


151 


a  good  three  hundred  yards  before  dropping. 
They  can  change  their  flight,  and  turn  off  at 
yight  angles  like  a  swallow.     At  night,  attract- 


ig-flsh. 


ed  by  the  lights,  they  fly  on  board,  and  one 
hears  thein  come  flop !  against  a  sail,  and  drop 
on  deck.  The  sailors  are  very  fond  of  them, 
and  they  are  not  wasted. 

In  the  afternoon  our  old  squalls  set  in  again, 
and  we  double  reef  down,  but  average  nine 
knots  all  the  same,  in  a  heavy  sea. 


162  HAYTI. 


January  4:th. — We  are  now  sailing  along  the 
southern  coast  of  San  Domingo,  bnt  abont  fifty 
miles  from  it.  And  the  heavy  sea  that  breaks 
over  us  occasionally,  is  said  to  be  a  sjpecialite  of 
this  coast.  The  squalls  gradually  settle  into  a 
strong  breeze,  and  the  schooner  walks  away  with 
it  like  a  witch. 

January  htJt. — Hunniug  before  it,  we  had  a 
quiet  night,  under  double  reefed  mainsail  and 
staysail.  At  midnight  we  hauled  up  to  run  in- 
to the  Windward  passage,  between  llayti  and 
Jamaica,  and  at  daylight  the  lofty  blue  mount- 
ains of  Cape  Tiburon  Avere  in  sight  about  fifteen 
miles  off  at  our  starboard  hand.  The  sun  rose 
gloriously  over  them,  and  seemed  to  have  mixed 
a  new  color,  from  the  pigments  on  the  solar 
palette,  a  rich  cream  color,  quite  indescribable. 

The  day  has  been  the  most  completely  per- 
fect one  that  we  have  had  since  our  cruise 
began.  An  exquisite  cloudless  sky — j  ust  a  mere 
ripple  on  the  ultramarine  of  the  sea,  and  a  soft 
balmy  air,  not  uncomfortably  hot — just  a  day 
to  tempt  the  beautiful  purple  "  Portuguese 
man-of-war "  or  nautilus  on  a  cruise,  and  wo 


8PEAKTN0  A  BARQUE.  153 

see  numbers  of  them  floating  by  with  their  tiny 
sails  set,  and  their  fleshy-looking  ballast  proper- 
ly disposed  of  underneath  them. 

Towards  sunset  we  catch  the  first  glimpse  of 
the  distant  mountains  of  Cuba's  southern  coast 
in  a  purple  haze.  "  Whilst  glow  the  heavens 
with  the  last  steps  of  day  "  we  speak  a  barque, 
the  "Greenville  Belle,"  of  Annapolis,  K  B. 
She  looked  gigantic  in  the  level  light,  with  every 
sail  set  reflecting  back  "  the  rosy  depths."  We 
hung  together  for  a  moment,  and  then,  with 
shouted  farewells  and  dipping  of  colors,  went 
our  own  ways  Q}idcursiiinventus  !  AVho  could 
help  thinking  of  dear  old  Arthur  Clough'a 
sweet  verses? 

"  Aa  ships  becalmed  at  eve,  that  lay 
With  canvas  drooping,  side  by  side, 
Two  towers  of  sail,  at  dawn  of  day 
Are  scarce  lon<f  leagues  apart  descried. 

"  When  fell  the  night,  up  sprung  the  breeze, 
And  all  the  darkling  hours  they  plied ; 
Nor  dreamt  but  each  the  self -same  seas 
By  each  vp-as  cleaving,  side  by  side. 

"  E'en  so— but  why  the  tale  reveal 

Of  those  whom,  year  by  year  unchanged, 
Brief  absence  joined  anew,  to  feel 
Astounded,  soul  from  soul  estranged  ? 


154  SPOONEY. 


"  At  dead  of  nig-ht,  their  sails  were  filled, 
And  onward  each  rejoicing  steered; 
Ah  !  neither  blame,  for  neither  willed 
Or  wist  what  first  with  dawn  appeared. 

"  To  veer,  how  vain  !  on,  onward  strain, 
Brave  barks  !  in  light,  in  darkness  too  ! 
Through  winds  and  tides  one  compass  guides — 
To  that  and  your  own  selves  be  true. 

"  But  0,  blithe  breeze  !   and  O,  great  seas  ! 
Though  ne'er,  that  earliest  partuig  past, 
On  your  wide  plain  they  join  again, 
Together  lead  them  home  at  last. 

*'  One  port,  one  thought,  alike  they  sought — 
One  purpose  hold,  where'er  they  fare  ; 
O  bounding  breeze,  O  rushing  seas. 
At  last,  at  last,  unite  them  there  !" 

January   (Sth. — AVe  ran  in  so  close  to  the 

land    that    L tlu^ight    hest    to    heave-to 

about  midnight.    C and  I,  overwrought  by 

the  brilliant  stars  (how  much  nearer  they 
seem  to  us  than  they  do  at  home),  had  been 
sino:ino^  sono-s  that  we  had  heard  fi^irls  sine:  at 
Newport,  until  we  drifted  into  complete 
spoonejness,  and  turned  in  w^ith  the  vague  woe 
of  uncertainty  that  haunts  a  man  who  has  had 
no  news  of  home  or  kindred  for  nearly  three 


THE  MORRO   CASTLE.  155 

luontlis.     This  has  been  our  fate  owiiio:  to  tlio 
]>i-ep(>sterous  mail  system  of  the  West  Indies. 

This  morning  at  dawn  we  found  ourselves 
well  under  the  land  about  fifteen  miles  from  the 
Morro  Castle,  and  had  to  endure  a  season  of 
calm  before  the  sea  breeze  at  last  came  to  cool 
us  and  gently  waft  us  to  our  haven.  The  Cobre 
mountains  which  form  the  southern  coast  bar- 
rier, do  not  seem  so  imposing  after  those  of 
Venezuela,  and  are  very  bare  and  scant  of  vege- 
tation. The  Morro  Castle  and  liofhthouse  s^lit- 
tere<l  on  the  heights  a  good  way  off,  and  it  was 
afternoon  before  we  reached  the  little  narrow 
opening  that  leads  up  to  Santiago  de  Cuba.  Not 
more  than  a  cable's  length  across,  the  little  strait 
looked  like  a  cleft  in  the  rocks,  and  perched 
over  it  was  the  Morro  Castle,  a  queer  old-time 
f(U-tification,  something  like  Chillon,  with  a  bit 
of  the  tower  of  Loudon  stuck  into  it,  red, 
weather-stained,  moss-grown,  picturesque,  the 
very  emblem  of  Old  Spain  and  its  crumbled 
chivalry,  its  old  traditions  and  glories,  and  its 
catholic  hatred  of  innovation.     "  That  a  fort !" 

said    C ,    "  why,    a   single  poor  little  iron 

clad  could  knock  its  beautiful  old  battlementcd 


156  SANTIAGO  BE  CUBA. 

walls  and  pignons  into  a  cocked  hat  in  half  an 
honr."  And  so  it  could.  But  what  a  shame  it 
would  be  ;  nothing  could  ever  replace  the  quaint 
old-world  tumble-down  representative  of  the 
nation  it  belongs  to,  and  it  w^ould  be  as  great  a 
crime  whitewashing  Westminster  Abbey.  {Sic 
j^arva  commoner e  cum  tnagnis  soleham.) 

We  took  on  board  a  Chinese  pilot,  whose  lan- 
guage was  an  utterly  unintelligible  polyglot, 
and  after  responding  to  interrogatories  from 
the  fort,  hurled  at  us  through  an  enraged  speak- 
ing-trumpet, we  passed  close  under  the  wave- 
worn  cliff,  noticinjx  at  its  base  a  laro^e  dark  cave 
full  of  bats  and  birds,  darting  about  in  the 
gloom.  With  many  twistings  and  windings 
we  slowdy  sailed  up  the  narrow  river — w^iose 
banks,  but  for  the  many  aloes,  with  their  lofty 
shafts  full  of  blossoms  that  glorified  them,  re- 
minded us  of  the  Hudson  River,  just  below 
West  Point-r-until  the  city  of  Santiago  appear- 
ed in  sight. 

We  glided  on  until  the  pilot  had  got  us  be- 
tween two  men-of-war,  (one  of  w^hich  was  the 
"  Tornado,"  the  capturer  of  the  "  Virginius"), 
and  not  till  we  were  thoroughly  under   their 


OUR    WATVHMAN.  157 

guns  did  we  let  the  anchor  go,  with  the  crashing 
froth,  and  chinking  run  and  jolt  of  the  chain- 
cable,  that  is  so  pleasant  to  hear  after  some 
days  at  sea. 

We  were  at  once  boarded  bj  the  health  offi- 
cer and  custom-house  people,  with  their  "  tail " 
of  interpreters  and  assistants.  These  gen- 
try, very  much  like  their  fraternity  in  Agua- 
dilla,  could  not  understand  the  object  of  a 
yacht,  the  "Josephine"  being,  according  to 
them,  the  first  goeleta  de  Teoi^eo^  ever  seen  in 
these  waters.  These  officials  were  quite  un- 
comfortable, but  "  a  soft  answer  tnrneth  away 
wrath,"  and  L 's  dignified  explanations,  es- 
pecially as  they  didn't  understand  half  of  them, 
had  a  soothing  influence,  so  that  they  partook 
freely  of  sherry,  and  left  us  with  only  the  part- 
ing legacy  of  a  custom-house  watchman,  his 
blanket,  and  his  ordinary  supply  of  fleas.  He 
squints  dreadfully,  and  his  color  varies  like  a 
chameleon's,  but  he  seems  harmless.  They  are 
not  so  bad  as  the  Ao^uadilleros  thou£]:h,  for  we 
are  not  quarantined,  and  we  have  permission  to 
go  ashore. 

Whilst  we  were   dining  the  captain  of  the 


158  PLAZA  DE  ARMAS. 

port  caine  off,  a  very  charming  fellow  indeed 
He  withdrew  the  squinter  at  once,  and  bronght 
invitations  to  a  grand  ball  at  the  Club,  given  in 
honor  of  the  young  Kiiig  Alfonso,  of  which 
we  are  now  first  made  aware.  To-day  is,  be- 
sides, the  Dio  del  Eeis  or  Twelftli-night,  a 
very  grand  holiday  among  the  negroes,  especi- 
ally among  those  who  are  slaves,  and  we  were 
made  aware  of  it  at  sundown  by  a  battery  near 
us  opening  fire  with  a  royal  salute. 

We  landed,  accompanied  by  our  new-made 
friend  the  captain,  and  first  walked  up  to  the 
Plaza  de  Armas  to  hear  the  bands  play.  It  was 
one  of  the  prettiest  sights  imaginable.  The 
Plaza  was  half  illuminated  by  lamps  hung  in 
the  trees  ;  it  was  full  of  people,  and  the  w^alks 
were  lined  with  ladies  sitting  down  or  walking 
round  the  square ;  most  of  them  were  going 
to  tlie  ball,  and  their  dresses  w^ere  very  hand- 
some. I  never  saw  so  many  very  pretty  wo- 
men together,  except  in  a  ball  room  in  New 
York  (which  goes  without  saying). 

Their  hair  seems  as  glossy  as  a  blackbird's 
wing,  and  their  fans  wave  and  languish  in  that 
enchanting  manner  proverbial  with  the  Donna 


CUBAN  LADIES.  159 

of  Spain,  and  their  feet — ah !  I  have  seen 
few  feet  even,  in  Kew  York,  like  those,  though 
they  cannot  erase  the  memory  of  a  mite  whose 
unsurpassable  little  feet  have  trampled  on  my 
lieart  these  years  past ;  but  it  is  not  only  that 
their  feet  are  so  small  or  so  Men  chausses^  it 
is  the  demarche.  These  ladies  do  not  walk, 
they  float;  they  pass  like  Junos  in  a  gliding, 
Olympian  motion,  unaccounted  for  by  any  me- 
chanical laws. 

1  was  presented  to  a  number  of  charming 
people,  who  all  spoke  French  more  or  less ;  but 
it  was  a  deuce  of  a  task  to  remember  their  names 
— and  when  they  dropped  into  their  own  soft 
Cuban  Spanisli  I  could  only  stammer  and  look 
like  a  goose.  We  stayed  till  the  ball  was  well 
under  way,  and  tired  to  death  we  went  on  board, 
just  looking  in  for  a  few  moments  at  the  ball, 
which  appeared  to  be  taking  place  in  the  Club, 
in  the  street  and  all  round  the  neighborhood — 
and  it  was  funny  to  see  beautifidly  dressed 
3^oung  women  with  bare  heads  and  necks,  stand- 
ing in  the  street  and  peering  through  the  blinds 
at  the  dancers. 

The  U.  S.  consul  is  absent,  but  his  Yice,  who 


160  TROUBLE. 


is  a  very  clever  and  amiable  fellow,  has  already 
taken  a  great  deal  of  trouble  for  us.  He  did 
not,  however,  inti'oduce  ns  to  more  than  thirty 
or  forty  people  to-day,  which  is  by  no  means  an 
abuse  of  his  opportunities. 

January  1th. — We  landed  this  morning  to 
pay  a  visit  of  ceremony  to  the  Governor  of  the 
District,  General  Mai-in,  who  lives  in  a  very 
swell  palace  on  the  Plaza.  He  looks  a  good 
deal  like  Louis  I^apoleon,  only  more  so.  He 
received  us  very  politely,  and  cigars  were  handed 
round,  just  like  coffee  and  chibouques  in  the 
East.  As  he  spoke  French  admirably,  we  were 
quite  en  pays  de  connaissance,  but  just  as  we 
took  leave  of  him,  he  sprung  a  most  unpleasant 
little  mine  on  us,  by  suggesting  that  we  were 
liable  to  a  fine  of  five  hundred  gold  dollars  for 
not  having  a  '•  manifiestoP  Here  was  a  "  go  " 
— the  dreadful  spectre  of  Aguadilla  confronted 
us  once  again — again  the  Treasury  department's 
commission  was  waved  in  the  air  similar  unto 
the  "  Stars  and  Stripes,"  and  oh  Lord !  a  certain 
suj)erior  smile^  the  piatent  for  which  I  thought 
belonged  exclusively  to  two  persons  in  New 


A  FARCE.  161 


York,  appeared  on  the  General's  handsome  face. 
I  admit  that  I  cowered — the  superior  smile  had 
completely  done  for  me  ;  but  our  skipper  rose 
to  the  occasion,  and  we  retreated  in  good  order. 

Evidently  we  were  to  have  all  over  again  the 
roaring  farce  of  Aguadilla — exactly  repeated, 
indeed,  as  the  first  act  ends  by  Tableau  I. 
The  wicked  collector  has  a  dream  of  five  hun- 
dred gold  dollars.  Tableau  II.  The  authori- 
ties send  a  telegram  to  the  Captain-General 
in  Havana  for  instructions. 

On  leaving  the  Governor  we  presented  a  let- 
ter of  introduction  to  Mr.  B ,  who  is  the 

chief  merchant  liere,  and  the  advice  and  assis- 
tance of  himself  and  his  partners  have  been 
both  soothing  and  agreeable.  There  is  no 
doubt,  however,  that  the  Porto  Rico  denouement 
will  end  the  little  comedy. 

The  city  of  Santiago  is  built  on  a  spur  of  the 
Cobre  mountains,  and  rises  in  an  amphitheatre 
from  the  harbor,  which  is  completely  circular, 
large,  and  lies  like  a  basin  between  the  two 
mountains.  Like  all  the  Spanish  towns  w^e 
have  seen,  the  streets  are  narrow,  sordid  and 
undrained,  and  most  of  them  are  provided  with 
6 


162  ODORIFEROUS. 


dreadful  stinks  of  their  own,  wliicli  g-ives  the 
liberal  allowance  of  live  fearful  smells  to  the 
acre.  Coleridge's  description  of  Cologne  is  but 
a  faint  outline  of  the  capacity  of  Santiago  in 
this  particular. 

A  large  transport  steamer  arrived  this  morn- 
ing from  Cadiz,  and  anchored  near  us.  She 
was  crowded  with  a  thousand  unfortunate 
Gaditani  recruits  for  the  army.  They  are  all 
mere  lads,  and  too  good-looking — when  one 
sadly  thinks  how^  many  of  them  Avill  be  gastados 
by  disease  and  neglect  before  six  months  are 
over  their  heads.  The  S2:>aniards  have  not  a 
good  record  here  for  taking  care  of  their 
sick  Tvounded. 

The  headquarters  of  the  mawMs  or  (insur- 
gents) are  not  more  than  three  leagues  or  so 
from  the  city,  in  the  mountains,  but  it  is  very 
difficult  to  get  any  information  about  them,  or 
even  to  get  people  to  talk  about  them  at  all. 
They  are  either  flourishing  and  always  advanc- 
ing w^ith  decided  success,  or  else  they  are  a 
handful  of  bandits  on  their  last  legs,  according 
to  the  sentiments  of  the  speaker,  or  the  office 
he  holds  under  the  crow^n. 


CLUB  LIFE.  163 


Introductions  and  interviews  have  done  their 
work,  and  not  even  the  prospect  of  music  in  the 
Plaza  can  attract  us  from  the  cool,  quiet  deck 
of  the  schooner. 

January  Sth. — We  had  a  long  quiet  morning 
on  board,  with  a  few  visitors.  We  wished  very 
much  to  pay  a  votive  visit  to  the  slaughter-house 
abreast  of  which  we  were  anchored,  the  ap- 
propriate scene  of  the  butchery  of  the  wretched 
prisoners  from  the  "  Yirginius."  But  the  consul 
dissuaded  us,  on  the  score  that  it  might  give 
umbrage  to  the  authorities,  who  must  be  very 
sore  on  the  subject  of  Americans.  So  we  went 
ashore  to  the  Club  de  San  Carlos,  a  very  hand- 
some building  on  the  Plaza,  where  we  went 
through  the  usual  course  of  introductions.  The 
club  rules  here  are  more  elastic  than  those  which 
obtain  at  home,  for  on  music  nights  at  the 
Plaza,  after  the  band  has  played  through  its 
programme,  the  members  capture  it  and  convey 
it  to  the  club  where,  having  invited  the  ladies  of 
their  acquaintance  they  find  upon  the  Plaza, 
they  have  a  dance  and  a  regular  lark.  It  is  an 
idea  to  be  followed. 


164  HARD   TIMES. 


Underneath  all  this  gaiety  on  the  surface, 
however,  is  concealed  a  great  deal  of  misery, 
many  good  families  being  reduced  completely 
to  want  by  the  loss  of  their  plantations,  or  by 
the  enormous  taxes  imposed  upon  capital  and 
income  both,  {five per  cent,  on  the  former,  and 
te7i  jper  cent,  on  the  latter,)  besides  other  exac- 
tions which  sometimes  I  fear  take  the  form  of 
forced  loans,  in  reality  forced  robberies,  for  the 
government  pays  no  one.  Even  the  troops  have 
been  unpaid  for  many  months,  yet  the  repinings 
are  as  yet  only  feebly  whisjiered  or  left  un- 
uttered. 

AVe  learn  that  the  Captain-General  has 
sent  a  telegram  with  instructions  to  place  the 
^'  Josephine  "  on  the  same  footing  as  an  English 
yacht  in  Spanish  waters.  This  ends  the  cotnedi- 
etta,  which  nevertheless  gave  us  some  uneasy 
moments. 

After  walking  through  the  city  a  few  times, 
although  it  is  the  ancient  capital  of  the  island, 
there  is  nothing  to  attract  one  ashore,  and  the 
smells  are  so  repulsive  that  one  can  hardly  stand 
it.  There  is  a  new  one  at  the  corner  of  every 
street  lying  in  w^ait  to  knock  you  dow^n.     There 


SWEET  FOOD. 


165 


are  plenty  of  pretty  faces,  to  be  sure  ;  but  then  it 

is  "  only  a  face  at  the  window  "  and  nothing  more. 

The  streets  are  in  a  wretched  condition,  as  the 

noney  extorted  from  the  inhabitants  all  goes  to 


Family  Provisions. 


Spain,  and  none  of  it  is  spent  upon  the  city. 
The  colored  population  feed  chieliy  on  sugar- 
cane if  one  may  judge  by  their  dilapidated  front 
teeth,  and  groups  like  these  which  are  constant- 
ly to  be  seen  in  the  streets.  I  went  into  a 
pleasant  galleried,  clean-looking  hotel  kept  by 


166 


LA  FILLE  DE  MADAME  ANQOT. 


a  stout  old  colored  auntie  known  as  Madame 
Adele,  wlio  had  been  a  Martinique  slave  in  her 


Sweet  Content, 


yonth.  She  became  quite  chatty  over  the  mis- 
fortunes of  Cuba.  ^''C^est  un  pays  tout  d  fait 
vedu,  peclu,  pedu,  oui  monsieiir^  peduf'^  she 
said,  reminding  me  of  La  Fille  de  Madame  An- 
got,  as  she  turned  away  to  scold  some  cofPee-col- 
ored  yonng  women  in  the  same  delectable  J9<^^fc»^>. 

On  our  way  back  we  encountered  a  large 
funeral  train  of  volantes,  drawn  by  very  hand- 
some mules,  accompanied  by  a  long  tail  of 
slaves  who  seemed  to  consider  it  rather  a  game. 

It  was  the  funeral  of  a  young  girl,  and  the 


A  FUNERAL.  167 


coffin  was  borne  into  the  church  covered  with 
beauteous  flowers,  which  were  strewn  round  in 
profusion.  It  made  me  think  of  Chateaubriand's 
"Elise:" 

"  Ah  !  ne  les  rends  jamais  a  ce  monde  profane, 
A  ce  monde — rempli  d'angoisses  et  de  douleur, 
Le  vent  brise  et  tletrit,  le  soleil  briile  et  fane 
Jeune  fille  et  jeuno  fleur. 

"  Tu  dors,  pauvre  Elise  si  legere  d'annees 
Tu  ne  sens  plus  du  jour  ni  le  poids  ni  la  chaleur 
Elles  ont  acheve  es  leurs  fraiches  matinees 
Jeune  filie  et  jeune  fleur  !  " 

The  service  w^as  very  fine,  but  all  solemnity 
was  destroyed  by  the  dulcet  tones  of  fiddle 
and  horn  which  were  employed  to  fortify  the 
organ,  especially  as  immediatel}^  after  the  ser- 
vice we  met  the  big  fiddle  scurrying  out  in  the 
arms  of  its  ebony  performer. 

We  stayed  on  board  after  dinner  and  dis- 
cussed spiritualism  in  our  shirt  sleeves — mus- 
quitoes. 

January  9th. — We  went  ashore  to  flciner  at 
the  club,  but  after  once  seeing  the  cpiaint  old 
town,  there  is  nothing  to  interest  one,  and  it  is 


168  AT  THE  CATHEDRAL. 

sacl  to  see  the  abandoned  houses,  the  decayed 
families  and  homes,  caused  bj  the  insurrection 
and  its  results.  The  ruin  is  sure,  and  although 
slower  than  an  earthquake's  ravages,  is  less  mer- 
ciful. The  Spanish  part  of  the  population 
merely  shake  their  heads,  but  are  unwilling  to 
speak  of  it  in  any  way. 

January  10th. — "We  went  to  the  cathedral 
this  morning  and  heard  the  celebration  of  High 
Mass ;  the  organ  was  excellent,  but  the  singing 
nasal  and  below  mediocritj'.  The  aisle  was 
filled  with  pretty  women  in  long  rows,  each 
with  her  private  rug  to  kneel  upon,  and  the 
men  sauntered  about  between  the  pillars,  cast- 
ing tender  glances  at  the  kneeling  objects  of 
their  devotion.  As  soon  as  Mass  was  over  the 
band  struck  up  in  the  Plaza,  and  the  fair  Avor- 
shippers  paraded  about  to  be  worshipped  in 
turn.  But  there  was  no  display  of  costume,  as 
it  seems  to  be  de  rigiieur  for  the  ladies  in 
church  to  wear  black  with  a  very  becominor 
black  vail. 

In  the  afternoon  we  got  a  couple  of  volantes, 
and  guided  by  the    consul    visited  an  estan- 


AN  ESTANCIA.  169 

cia  (wliicli  is  a  sort  of  large  garden-farm)  be- 
longing to  M.  Ducoureau,  a  Frenchman,  who 
has  just  received  summary  notice  to  leave  the 
sland  within  twenty-four  hours.  His  banish- 
nent,  which  is  quite  arbitrary,  w^ithout  trial  of 
any  kind,  is  not  easy  to  understand  unless  it  be 
his  intimacy  with  the  U.  S.  consul,  as  the  only 
reason  given  by  the  authorities  for  his  banish- 
ment is  "  intimacy  with  the  enemies  of  Spain." 

The  estancia  is  a  very  pretty  place  with  ex- 
quisite gardens,  a  large  dwelling,  fountains, 
baths,  etc.,  but  all  with  a  sort  of  lezarde  half 
ruined  air,  fitting  the  misfortunes  of  its  owner, 
who  seemed  a  bright,  polite,  intelligent  little 
man,  with  nothing  of  the  conspirator  about  him 
unless  it  was  a  "  collet  noir.^^  His  farewell  to 
his  bereaved  family  took  place  while  we  were 
there,  much  to  our  confusion,  but  it  did  not  seem 
to  be  an  overwhelming  separation — indeed  our 
attention  was  at  once  turned  to  a  tarantula  of 
about  the  circumference  of  a  soup-plate,  whose 
hairy  life  I  ruthlessly  took — and  the  departure 
of  the  "  banished  lord,"  in  a  volante^  surrounded 
with  his  trunks,  excited  scarcely  a  ripple. 

We  soon  took  our  leave  and  drove  about  four 


ITO  HIGH- JINKS. 


miles  further  to  a  village  called  Caney,  where 
they  were  having  Sunday  high-jinks  in  celebra- 
tion of  the  proclamation  of  the  young  king. 
The  sports  consisted  of  a  greasy  pole,  of  course 
so  greasy  that  none  of  the  little  bronze  statues 
swarming  at  its  foot  could  get  very  high,  and 
the  atmosphere  was  full  of  cries  of  what  I  should 
take  to  be  the  Spanish  for  "boost  me,  Billy." 
There  was  a  goose,  too,  tied  by  the  legs  in  the 
centre  of  a  rope,  and  the  thing  to  do  was,  being 
blindfolded,  to  knock  the  wretched  bird's  head 
off  with  a  club — in  fact  the  fair  was  full  of 
sprees  dating  from  the  cruelties  of  the  barbar- 
ous Dark  Ages. 

We  wandered  i-ound  the  village,  half  desert- 
ed and  half  in  ruins,  surrounding  a  little  church 
embedded  in  brick  fortifications,  built  round  it 
like  red-bath  tubs ;  for  the  mamhis  or  insur- 
gents, who  are  hiding  about  on  the  other  side 
of  the  mountain,  are  always  threatening  it.  As 
we  returned  along  the  road,  which  is  never  re- 
paired, and  in  the  most  break-neck  disorder,  we 
we  couldn't  help  noticing  the  hopeless  look  of 
the  old  plantations,  and  once  lovely  estancias^ 
all  grown  over  and  full  of  weeds  running  riot. 


TOM  GRINOLE'S  LOG.  171 

and  this  within  five  miles  of   tlie   second  city 
and  the  old  capital  of  the  island. 

We  were  glad  to  hasten  home — for  associa- 
tion and  long  occupation  makes  a  home  of  the 
dear  old  "  Josephine  " — to  enjoy  the  cool  fresh- 
ness of  the  harbor. 

Jamiary  11th. — Our  excursions  outside  the 
city  being  quite  limited,  by  the  advice  of  the  resi- 
dents, on  account  of  the  proximity  of  the  mam- 
his  who  appear  to  behave  to  everybody  like 
the  beggar  in  Gil  Bias,  we  decided  to  depart 
to  day,  and  early  in  the  afternoon  our  pilot 
came  aboard.  Once  more  we  hoisted  sail  to  a 
nice  breeze  and  ran  merrily  out  of  the  harbor, 
but  close  to  the  Morro  the  wind  entirely  deserted 
us,  and  we  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  anchor  and 
wait  for  the  terral  or  land  breeze,  which  is  very 
uncertain  in  its  visits.  The  waters  about  here 
and  the  town  itself  recall  vividly  that  charm- 
ing book  "  Tom  Cringle's  Log,"  having  been  the 
scene  of  many  of  the  adventures  and  descrip- 
tions it  contains,  and  we  certainly  were  an- 
chored in  a  most  piratical  looking  place,  full 
of  little  nooks  and  corners  for  a  small  vessel  to 


172  UNDER  WAY. 


hide  awav  in.  We  met  in  Santias^o  a  j^entle- 
man  named  Mr.  Thomas  Bell,  who  is  the  grand- 
son of  the  Don  liicardo  Campanero  of  Tom 
Cringle,  and  who  had  returned  to  the  original 
Scotch  appellation. 

The  land  breeze  cometh  not,  and  we  turn  in 
in  perfect  quiet,  although  out  beyond  we  can 
see  the  white  surf  dashing  up  on  the  cliffs. 

January  l^th,—A.i  dawn  we  slipped  out 
from  the  cool  gray  shadows  of  the  land  into  a 
smooth  sea  and  a  favoring  breeze,  which  latter, 
however,  soon  dwindled  to  a  faint  breath,  so 
that  all  day  long  we  just  fanned  along  the  shore 
very  slowly,  opening  point  after  point  of  the 
Cobre  mountains.  Although  well  wooded 
they  are  more  pretty  than  picturesque ;  but 
perhaps  we  have  seen  so  many  line  ^'^ay sages 
accidentes  "  that  our  eyes  are  fatigued  as  one's 
are  after  doing  a  room  or   two  at  the  JLouvre. 

It  does  not  require  much  imagination  to-night, 
lookino;  over  the  hills  with  the  soft  moonlio^ht 
silvering  their  outlines,  to  convert  a  fire  we 
observed  in  one  of  the  darker  valleys,  into  a 
wild   maiiibi  camp   and  bivouac,  as  we  know 


CAPE  CRUZ.  1T3 


tliat    they    are     hidden     somewhere     in     the 
vicinity. 

Towards  midnight  a  large  war  steamer  pass- 
ed about  a  mile  from  us,  close  into  the  land, 
and.  we  expected  fully  to  be  brought-to  and 
overhauled  ;  but  she  made  no  sign  as  she  glid- 
ed past  us,  and  left  us  to  turn  in,  in  peace. 

January  ISth. — "  All  night  no  ruder  airs 
perplex  lier  sliding  keel,"  but  a  very  light 
breeze  brought  us  at  dawn  abreast  of  Mount 
Turquino,  a  noble  mountain  rising  8,400  feet, 
and  an  important  landmark. 

Throughout  the  day  we  loitered  along  till 
we  passed  Cape  Cruz  in  the  afternoon,  and 
stretched  away  towards  Cape  Antonio,  450 
miles  distant,  which  we  must  round  to  reach 
Havana,  our  next  port. 

At  night  we  had  a  sudden  and  violent  squall, 
which  brought  in  our  kites  pretty  quickly,  and 
when  it  subsided,  left  us  with  a  pleasant  breeze  ; 
a  very  agreeable  change  from  the  sultry  saun- 
tering of  the  last  two  days.  It  was  very  plea- 
sant, too,  to  see  a  cloud  in  the  perfectly  uniform 
blue  arch  overhead.     They  have  been  so  rare 


174  SAUNTERmO. 


lately  that  the  sudden  shadow  of  one  OA^er  tlie 
dark  unfathomable  blue  water,  falls  dramatic- 
ally, like  an  event. 

January  IHh. — Out  of  sight  of  land — plea- 
sant breeze — smooth  sea — complete  and  happy 
repose. 

January  16 th. — Just  the  same  as  yesterday — 
both  days  being  the  perfection  of  sailing  wea- 
ther ;  we  are  nearing  the  land,  and  are  looking 
out  for  the  light  on  the  cape. 

January  X'otK. — At  three  a.  m.  we  sighted 
the  light  on  Cape  San  Antonio,  and  thence  pass- 
ed through  the  strait  between  that  point  and 
the  main  land  of  Yucatan,  out  into  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico,  having  still  180  miles  to  beat  to 
windward  against  the  trades,  before  we  can 
make  Havana — a  somewhat  disagreeable  pros- 
pect after  such  delightful  smooth  and  dry  sail- 
ing. 

January  17th. — All  day  we  have  been  mak- 
ing long  tacks,  occasionally  catching  a  shadowy 


RA  VAN  A.  175 


glimpse  of  tlie  land,  and  we  hope  to  reach  our 
destination  to-morrow. 

January  18th. — We  sighted  the  Morro  Cas- 
tle at  daylight,  but  beating  against  a  light  wind 
were  unable  to  pass  that  splendid  old  fortress 
until  afternoon,  when  we  anchored  amidst  a  fleet 
composed  of  shipping  of  all  nations. 

The  beautiful  rock-bound  entrance  to  this 
port  is  familiar  to  almost  every  one,  but  one 
can  never  approach  it  without  renewed  admira- 
tion, and  a  remembrance  of  all  the  old  legends 
and  stories  of  pirates  and  buccaneers,  of  bloody 
battles  and  cutting-out  slavers,  that  in  the  read- 
ings of  one's  childhood  were  connected  with 
"  The  Ilavannah."     Even  Burns  has  written : — 

"  I  served  out  my  trade 
Where  the  bloody  game  was  played, 
And  the  Morro  low  was  laid 
At  the  sound  of  the  drum  !  " 

As  we  lower  our  sails  and  shoot  up  to  our 
anchorage  in  the  upper  part  of  the  harbor,  I 
am  astonished  at  the  great  apparent  increase  to 
the  trade  of  tlie  place  since  I  was  here  in  1861, 
as  shown  by  the  shipping  crowded  together 
all  around  us. 


176  FORTS  AND  HARBOR   OF  HAVANNA. 


r^\   IllllllllllllllllllliJillil 


THE  OLD   CITY.  177 


On    laiiclinor    I    find    that   the   same   c^reat 


change  has  been  effected  in  the  old  town.  The 
ancient  fortifications  have  ahnost  disappeared, 
and  "  extra  Muros  "  has  lost  its  signification  ; 
the  beantifnl  old  private  dwellings,  in  the 
chief  streets,  are  converted  into  stores,  thus 
effacing  the  fourteenth  centnry.  And  even 
the  Plaza  de  Armas,  where  tlie  band  nsed  to 
play  the  lletreta  every  night,  is  very  shabby, 
and  the  fonr  royal  palms  round  the  monument 
in  the  centre,  look  droopy  and  ashamed  of  their 
humbled  condition.  As  for  the  Dominica,  the 
swell  cafe  of  old,  it  has  sunk  to  a  shabby  old 
coffee-house,  lurked  in  by  men  with  blue  chins, 
who  consume  greasy  pastry  and  repel  the 
assaults  of  ragged  venders  of  lottery  tickets. 
Yolantes,  too,  have  disappeared,  except  at  funer- 
als, though  what  their  particular  appropriate- 
ness to  that  ceremony  consists  of  is  past  finding 
out,  to  any  one  who  remembers  their  ancient 
splendors  ;  their  places  are  filled  by  herds  of 
nasty  little  victorias,  which  are  wonderful  lurk- 
ing places  for  the  most  vicious  fleas.  All  the 
gaiety,  clubs,  and  wealthy  people  have  moved 
beyond  the  old   walls,  where  a  large  city  has 


NE  W8  FROM  HOME.  1 79 

sprung  up,  with  handsome  wide  streets,  squares, 
etc.,  almost  European  in  appearance. 

Here,  at  last,  we  find  all  our  letters  from 
home,  accumulated  from  different  ports  wiiere 
they  missed  us.  It  is  a  delightful  thing  to  open, 
one  after  another,  the  filmy  enveh^pes,  and 
while  re-assured  of  the  well  being  of  one's  own 
Penates,  to  exchange  the  scraps  of  cfiromc[ue 
sccmdaleuse  with  the  other  letter-readers,  who 
both,  I  observed,  opened  their  last-dated  letter 
first,  as  indeed  I  did  too.  Think  of  three 
months'  scandal  and  gossip  all  at  once  !  Add 
to  this  all  the  magazines  and  new  novels,  well 
selected  by  Brentano,  and  devise  a  pleasanter 
afternoon  for  three  wanderers,  if  you  can. 

Thank  goodness  !  the  one  crumpled  rose  leaf 
is  gone  that  made  my  couch  uneasy.  Of 
course,  in  the  long  dearth  of  news  all  manner 
of  misgivings  assailed  me,  especially  in  those 
sad  wakeful  small  hours  of  the  darkness 
"  when  my  light  is  low."  J^ow  they  are  exor- 
cised and  gone. 

There  are  a  number  of  Spanish  men-of-war 
in  the  harbor,  among  others  the  "Arapiles," 
whose  infelicitous  experiences  in  New   York 


180  THE  LITTLE  PILOT  BOAT. 

ma}^  be  still  remembered.  She  has  just  mount- 
ed a  gorgeous  gold  crown  over  her  figure-head, 
in  honor  of  the  new  reghne.  Indeed,  it  is  sur- 
prising the  rapidity  with  which,  down  to  the 
merest  tub  of  a  gun-boat,  they  have  all  replaced 
the  crown  in  the  national  colors,  which  had  dis- 
appeared with  the  Bourbon. 

What  with  the  heavily  armed  Morro  Castle 
and  the  fortress  of  tlie  Cabanas  on  the  one  side, 
the  powerful  fort  at  the  Punta  on  the  other,  and 
the  Qiany  war  ships  round  us,  it  looks  as  if  the 
Spaniards  had  taken  every  precaution  against 
losing  possession.  Here,  however,  we  had  no 
sort  of  trouble  in  getting  settled.  The  custom- 
house visit  was  a  polite  form,  and  at  last  they 
understood  the  possibility  of  a  goeleta  de  recreo, 
although  the  boatmen  who  ply  about  the  har- 
bor w^ill  insist  on  callino-  the  dear  little  schooner 

"  El  Pilot  Bote  Americano,^^  to  L 's  intense 

disgust. 

January  V^th. — If  any  man  having  partaken 
of  the  many  larks  of  Havana,  till  the  "  wee  sma' 
hours,"  wishes  to  borrow  a  few  hours'  rest  from 
the  day,  let  him  not  hope  for  it  within  earshot 


THE  PASEO.  181 


of  the  harbor,  for  at  five  a.  m.,  long  before 
dawn,  the  flag-ship  "Arapiles"  fires  off  a  tremen- 
dous gun  which,  as  we  are  lying  alongside  of 
lier,  shakes  us  from  stem  to  stern.  Then  to 
prevent  our  going  to  sleep  again,  from  every 
other  man-of-war  in  the  place,  one  or  more 
trumpeters,  the  tootelary  guardians  of  the  port, 
commence  a  fearful  brazen  howlino;  which  lasts 
till  long  after  sunrise.  I  think  it  must  be  in- 
tended to  strike  terror  into  the  hearts  of  the 
Englishmen  on  a  pretty  corvette  called  the 
"  Eclipse,"  which  ran  in  here  yesterday  from 
Jamaica,  and  gave  rise  to  a  vast  deal  of  noisy 
saluting. 

We  took  a  drive  on  the  Paseo,  but  it  was  not. 
a  very  gay  one.  The  insurrection  seems  to  have 
destroyed  all  the  fashionable  life  of  the  place. 
The  old  race  of  Spanish  residents  who  made  the 
glories  and  the  gaieties  for  which  the  city  is 
so  renowned,  are  gone,  either  ruined  or  retired 
to  Spain,  and  their  places  are  filled  by  a  new 
and  totally  different  class,  who  are  not  residents 
but  sojourners,  to  make  money  as  fast  as  possi- 
ble and  leave.  I  believe  that  the  Spanish 
population  even,  in  theii*  hearts  look  upon  the 


182  STATE  OF  SOCIETY. 

island  as  lost  to  8])ain.  It  seems  now  to  be 
only  a  question  of  time  and  holding  out.  The 
tyiamhis  have  been  at  it  since  1868,  and  although 
they  never  venture  their  fortunes  in  a  pitched 
battle,  they  are  always  on  the  alert,  harassing 
the  columns  of  the  troops  sent  against  them, 
and  kill  a  fearful  number  of  them,  almost  in 
security,  from  their  knowledge  of  the  forests 
and  mountain  passes,  which  precludes  the  pos- 
sibility of  active  or  effectual  pursuit.  Then  the 
Emperor  of  Russia's  old  brutal  boast  of  his  two 
greatest  generals,  Janvier  and  Fevrier.,  is  quite 
paralleled  here,  for  disease  and  ex]3osure  deci- 
mate the  poor  unacclimated  boys,  who  compose 
the  Spanish  rank  and  file. 

The  prices  of  everything  are  very  high,  and 
they  seem  enormous  at  first,  but  as  they  are 
given  in  ^'^ pajpel^^  of  which  a  good  deal  can  be 
got  for  a  very  little  gold,  it  is  not  so  bad  as  it 
seems. 

January  20th. — Ashore  all  day,  making  one 
visit  and  another,  in  the  midst  of  tremendous 
preparations  that  are  being  made  on  all  sides 
for  a  grand  '^Jlesta,''^  to  last  three  days,  in  honor 


A  STREET  8CENE. 


183 


of  the  coronation  (this  time)  of  King  Alfonso. 
To-morrow  is  the  first  day  of  the  trouble,  and 


Street  Scene  in  Havana. 

strings  of  mules  pervade  the  street,  laden  with 


184  VISITS. 


all  manner  of  green  stuff  to  decorate  doorways ; 
the  nmles  are  completely  invisible,  so  that  they 
look  like  a  procession  of  the  whole  of  Birnam's 
W'Oods. 

In  the  evening  w^e  w^ent  to  a  ball  at  Mrs. 
Almy's  hotel,  near  the  Punta.  It  was  a  very 
jolly  dance,  w^ith  plenty  of  old  friends  there, 
and  I  had  a  pleasant  remembrance  and  greeting 
from  the  hostess,  who  was  just  as  nice  as  ever, 
and  went  about  the  room  looking  like  a  dear 
old  smiling  wax-work  in  gold  spectacles.  AYe 
looked  in,  too,  at  the  Casino  club  opposite  the 
Tacon  theatre,  the  most  gorgeous  concern  I  ever 
saw,  as  to  size  and  gilding.  It  is  a  political  in- 
stitution, and  the  head-quarters  of  the  Spanish 
or  anti-home  rule  party.  Zulueta,  the  chief 
slave  owner  of  the  island,  is  the  President  of  it, 
and  all  the  volunteers  and  city  tradesmen  are 
fierce  members. 

Notwithstanding  a  very  jolly  day,  I  do  feel 
that  Havana  is  greatly  changed  for  the  w^orse, 
and  everybody  seems  to  go  about  deploring  the 
sad  fact. 

Januai'y  '^\st. — Again  does  the  great  gun 


TOMB   OF  COLUMBUS.  185 

shake  us  from  our  slumbers,  and  the  beastly 
bugler  "  pours  through  the  mellow  horn  his 
pensive  soul."  Yet,  after  all,  Havana  is  a  very 
jolly  place  indeed,  when  you  get  extra  muros; 
especially  is  it  nice  to  saunter  about  the  large 
sort  of  a  Champs  Elysees  that  lies  in  front  of  the 
Tacon,  and  observe  the  manners  and  customs  of 
the  Serlors^  not  to  mention  the  Senoras  and  Itds. 
While  pottering  about  the  streets  this  morn- 
ing, visiting  and  shopping,  we  strolled  into 
the  Cathedral,  and  an  obliging  little  Melchisedec, 
with  a  big  tonsure,  bore  us  up  to  the  chancel  to 
see  the  tomb  and  monument  of  Christopher 
Cohimbus.  So  after  following  in  his  steps 
and  enjoying  his  discoveries,  we  stand  before 
his  last  resting-place, 

"  Two  handfuls  of  white  dust  shut  in  an  urn  of  brass," 

in  the  island  that  he  discovered,  and  where  he 
fii'st  planted  the  standard  of  the  Cross. 

The  monument,  however,  is  only  an  insig- 
nificant mural  tablet  in  the  hideous  taste  of  tlie 
early  part  of  tliis  century,  and  the  nose  is  dam- 
aged besides,  while  the  glorious  old  mariner's 
bones  appear  to  be  stuffed  into  a  sort  of  safe 


186  GENERAL   CONCHA. 

let  into  tlie  wall.  But  it  is  a  curious  instance 
of  "  Time's  revenf^es  "  that  liis  mortal  remains 
should  have  been  transferred  from  San  Do- 
mingo, and  deposited  with  reverential  pomp  in 
the  very  place  where,  three  hundred  years  be- 
fore, he  had  been  cast  into  prison  and  loaded 
with  chains  ! 

In  the  evening  we  had  an  invitation  from  the 
Captain-General  (to  whom  we  had  presented  a 
letter  of  introduction),  to  a  reception  at  the 
Quinta  de  los  Molinos,  his  country-house  on  the 
Paseo.  We  found  a  lot  of  men,  mostly  in  uni- 
form, sitting  on  a  splendid  large  marble  piazza, 
smoking,  chatting,  and  listening  to  the  music 
of  an  admirable  band  stationed  among  the 
trees.  Both  the  house  and  grounds  are  re- 
markable for  their  beauty  and  the  order  in 
which  they  are  kept.  General  Concha  received 
us  very  civilly,  and  fortunately  for  us  spoke 
French  very  well.  The  dignity  of  our  arrival 
was,  j)erhaps,  marred  by  the  fact  that,  worse 
than  Kawdon  Crawley,  we  actually  did  enter 
the  presence  of  the  "  sovei'eign  "  in  a  hack-cab, 
which  was  of  the  worst  and  most  flea-haunted 
description ;    and   as   a   climax,  the  wretched 


EAMBLING.  187 


brute  that  drew  it,  after  many  stumblings, 
broke  down  right  in  front  of  the  brilliant 
assemblage,  and  mildly  but  firmly  declined  to 
get  up  again,  or  do  anything  but  twiddle  his 
ears  in  a  hopeless  manner. 

General  Concha,  who  is  a  well  preserved 
man  about  sixty,  has  that  sort  of  family  look  of 
Louis  Napoleon  that  I  have  seen  so  often  in 
Cuba — he  had  a  red  silk  belt  round  his  stomach 
as  a  distino^uishinor  mark.  I  cono-ratulated  him 
on  the  accession  of  the  young  Bourbon,  but  I 
don't  think  he  really  cared  two  pence  about  it. 

That  Champs  Elysees  place  is  really  delight- 
ful bv  moonlii>:ht ! 


January  ^2d. — Is  but  a  chronicle  of  gastron- 
omy. We  had  breakfast  on  the  "  City  of  Kew 
York,"  one  of  the  fine  steamers  of  the  Alexan- 
dre line,  and  I  only  wish  some  of  the  transat- 
lantic lines  would  study  their  menu. 

In  the  evening  we  dined  with  the  British 
vice-consul  (Mr.  Crawford),  who  lives  in  a 
great  rambling  Creole  kind  of  edifice,  very  cool 
and  comfortable,  a  long  way  up  the  Cerro,  and 
from   the   boat  landinij   until  we  reached  his 


188  FESTIVAL   TIMES. 

house,  we  drove  under  one  long  arcade  of  san- 
guinary looking  bunting ;  the  fronts  of  the 
houses  and  shops  were  all  festooned  too,  with 
the  gaudy  national  colors. 

There  was  a  grand  display  of  fireworks  at 
]  ight,  but  who  would  desert  a  pleasant  dinner 
to  see  fireworks  ?  and  so  ended  the  first  dia  de 
festa. 

January  23d. — We  were  aroused  from  our 
peaceful  slumbers  this  morning  by  a  fearful 
cannonading  from  the  men-of-war  in  the 
harbor,  which  proved  to  be  a  most  untimely 
salute  of  twenty-one  guns  from  every  fort  and 
every  blessed  war  vessel  in  the  place.  May 
the  devil  fly  away  with  J^l  Rey  Don  Alfonso 
Xll.  for  making  his  coronation  so  early ' 
From  this  moment  I  am  a  Carlist,  heart  and 
soul !  The  shipping  are  all  splendidly  dressed 
out  and  decorated  with  flags,  and  it  is  a  beau- 
tiful sight.  Unfortunately  we  have  not  sufii- 
cient  bunting  to  put  the  Josephine  in  gorgeous 
array,  so  w^e  remain  in  republican  simplicit} 
with  the  old  "  Stars  and  Stripes "  only  at  the 
peak. 


UNFUBLTNO  THE  STANDARD.         189 

We  went  ashore  to  see  the  grand  unfurling 
of  the  royal  standard  of  Spain,  which  glo- 
rious event  was  to  come  off  at  nine  o'clock  in 
the  Parque  de  Isabella  II.,  and  thither  we 
repaired.  There  was  a  great  deal  of  dust  and 
heat,  and  a  mild  display  of  voluntarios  with 
a  shaky  band  or  two,  crowds  of  people  per- 
spiring about  the  square,  and  lining  the 
balconies  and  tops  of  the  houses.  In  the  mid- 
dle of  the  square  was  a  raised  platform  stand, 
like  those  used  at  political  meetings  in  Union 
Square,  but  profusely  adorned  with  yellow  and 
red  flags.  About  ten  o'clock,  after  a  grand 
flourish  of  trumpets,  a  number  of  carriages  drove 
up,  and  set  down  a  lot  of  splendid  beings. 
They  all  ascended  the  tribune,  with  the  Captain- 
General  conspicuous  in  their  midst ;  he  taking 
from  the  hands  of  a  trustworthy  attendant  the 
royal  standard,  and  gracefully  waving  its  heavy 
silken  folds  toward  the  crowd,  shouted  in  a  voice 
trembling  with  emotion  (was  it  a  bitter  pill  ?) : 
"  Ciiodadanos !  El  EtaiKlarte  Real !  Viva  el 
Bey  Alfonso  Doce  !  " 

A  moment  of  thrilling  silence,  and  then 
three  niggers  in  the  crowd  shouted :  "  Viva  el 


190  ISABELLA  II. 


Hey  !  "  after  wliicli  they  loolved  at  each  other 
with  a  shame-faced  kind  of  a  grin,  for  not 
another  soul  responded,  and  the  great  cere- 
mony fell  flatter  than  a  buckwheat  cake.  I 
only  hope  that  poor  Alfonso  finds  more  encour- 
agement at  home. 

We  were  very  glad  to  get  out  of  the  sun  and 
dust  and  back  to  the  schooner,  to  coolness  and 
breakfast,  but  even  while  resting  from  the 
pleasant  labors  of  that  repast,  the  forts  and 
frigates  all  made  it  noon  with  twenty-one  guns 
apiece,  close  to  us ;  and  they  did  it  all  over 
again  at  sundown.  At  night  the  city  was 
ilhiminated  in  all  sorts  of  waj'S,  but  chiefly 
with  a  highly  smelly  gas.  I  was  out  of  sorts 
and  declined  to  go  to  the  ball  at  the  Casino, 
which  was  to  be  a  miraculously  splendid  con- 
cern.    C and  L ,  went  but  soon  came 

back  with  the  concise  statement  that  the  whole 
thing  was  "  beastly  rot.''  To-morrow,  however, 
is  to  be  the  last  sublimation  of  delirious  joy 
and  loyalty  ;  and  as  a  final  preparation,  in  the 
silent  watches  of  the  night  tlie  statue  (long 
since  deposed)  of  Isabella  Segunda  was  restored 
to   its   base   in   the  jyarque  which   bears   her 


BOAT-RACING.  191 

name.  It  was  done  almost  suiTeptitiouslv, 
tliough  by  niggers  who,  I  am  afraid,  were  a 
little  undignified  in  their  proceedings.  She 
was  hoisted  up  by  a  rope  round  her  marble 
neck,  with  a  nigger  astride  on  her — (let  us  say 
crupper),  and  there  she  remains  "a  joy  of  beauty 
and  a  thing  forever." 

January  ^Hh. — The  festivities  to-day  begin 
with  a  boat  race  in  the  harbor,  and  we  are  in- 
vaded by  many  citizens  who  come  to  partici- 
pate in  and  witness  the  coming  events.  The 
agent  of  the  Alexandre  line,  Mr.  Todd,  brought 
out  a  new  and  untried  sail  boat  for  the  occa- 
sion, the  "  Adela,"  and  he  came  oif,  too,  to  in- 
duce  L to   sail  her  for  him  in  the   race. 

After  a  couple  of  very  good  gig  races,  the 
great  match  came  off,  with  six  sail  boats  enter- 
ed, and  we  followed  it  about  in  the  "  City  of 
Todd" — (the  steam  tender  to  the  Alexandre 
line). 

After  a  very  clever  and  close  eight  mile 
race,  the  "  Adela  "  won  by  a  few  feet,  to  the 
delirious  joy  of  her  owner  ;  the  race  was  only 
secured  by  L 's  skilful  handling  of  the  boat. 


192  PBOCESSION  OF  PROVINCES. 

The  moment  this  great  event  was  decided 
we  had  to  hasten  ashore  to  witness  the  grand  § 
procession,  representing  all  the  provinces  and 
possessions  of  Spain,  which  was  to  parade 
through  the  streets.  Every  balcony,  doorway, 
and  housetop,  on  the  line  of  march,  was 
crammed  with  people,  mostly  women  in  gor- 
geous array,  and  the  house  fronts  decorated 
with  palms  and  the  broad  leaves  of  the 
banana. 

The  procession  was  extraordinary^ — it  was 
very  pretty,  and  very  funny.  Porto  Rico  and 
Cuba  were  represented  by  Indians  in  a  chariot 
loaded  with  growing  tobacco  and  sugar  cane. 
Castile,  by  ferocious  Hidalgos  in  the  costume 
of  the  period,  and  a  total  absence  of  the  cele- 
brated soap.  And  so  they  came  on,  an  endless 
line  of  morrice  dancers,  sword  players,  knights, 
Don  Pelayo,  the  Cid,  Columbus,  band  of  music, 
drummers,  choral  societies,  each  province  ac- 
companied by  a  chariot  full  of  pretty  and 
almost  un attired  young  persons.  Each  pro- 
vince halted  in  the  Plaza  de  Armas  in  front  of 
the  palace,  and  kicked  up,  played,  danced,  sang 
or  whatever  w^as  the  particular  amusement  of 


THE  CAN-CAN.  193 


that  province,  and  then  passed  on.  It  became 
so  bewilderincy  that  we  got  tired  of  it  long 
before  the  end — indeed,  I  think  it  lasted  all 
night. 

At  the  back  of  the  Casino  we  discovered  a 
theatre  called  the  "  Cervantes^''  which  seemed 
attractive,  so  many  were  crowding  in ;  so  after 
paying  for  admission  to  one  act  only,  we  entered 
too,  and  found  a  good  sized  salle  filled  to  over- 
flowing w^th  nothing  but  men.  One  act  of  an 
aw^f  ully  dull  play  was  yawned  through,  and  then 
the  crowd  was  accounted  for.  An  entre  acte 
was  given,  just  the  most  atrocious  can-can  I 
ever  saw  in  my  life,  and  the  more  dreadful 
things  the  performers  did,  the  more  vociferous 
were  the  yells  and  shrieks  of  delight  from  the 
pit.  I  thought  of  Moliere  :  "  JJn  hallet  ne  sau- 
rait  etre  troj)  long,  pourvu  que  la  morale  soit 
honne  et  la  metaphysiqne  hien  entendue^  In 
this  aspect  it  w^as  a  very  long  ballet,  and  yet  I 
don't  usually  moralize  out  of  place. 

January  ^oth. — Living  on  board  a  yacht  is 
very  much  like  living  in  the  suburbs  of  a  city. 
There  is  a  vis  inertice  to  overcome,  especially 


194  CIOARETTES. 


in  a  liot  climate,  befoi-e  the  effort  can  be  made 
to  go  ashore.  I  did  go  though,  and  found  the 
town  reposing  in  peace  after  the  events  of  the 
last  three  days.  I  went  over  the  Ilonradez 
cigarette  factory,  whicli  is  well  worth  seeing, 
especially  the  show  workman  wlio  counts,  rolls 
np  and  pastes  a  bundle,  literally,  while  you  are 
saying  "  Jack  Robinson  ! "  The  usual  daily 
supply  required  for  the  trade  of  the  house  is 
about  two  million  cigarettes,  and  many  of  these 
are  made  by  a  very  clever  little  machine,  which 
being  fed  at  the  top  with  tobacco,  and  at  the 
bottom  with  a  lot  of  cut  papers,  fills  the  cigar- 
ette, rolls  it  tight,  turn  in  the  ends  and  throws 
it  out  into  a  basket;  but  a  great  many  are  made 
outside,  and  this  explains  why  every  porter  or 
servant  that  one  sees  in  the  shops  or  dwelling, 
is  always  rolling  cigarettes  in  his  unemployed 
moments.  It  is  the  staple  product  next  to 
cigars,  and  I  suppose  that  there  is  no  minute 
in  the  whole  twenty-four  hours,  that  some  one 
is  not  either  rolling,  lighting,  or  smoking  a 
cigarette. 

January  2Qth. — We    dined   on    board   the 


DEPARTURE.  195 

English  corvette  with  a  very  pleasant  party, 
and  after  dinner  we  were  conducted  on  deck, 
and  found  a  laro^e  assemblas-e  to  witness  a 
minstrel  performance  by  some  of  the  crew. 
The  theatrical  arrangements  were  very  good, 
the  performance  amusing;  and  how  funny  it 
was  to  hear  from  the  sable  actors,  the  good 
honest  Lancashire  dialect  or  the  London  cock- 
ney twang.  The  audience  part  of  the  crew 
were  convulsed  with  laughter  all  the  time,  and 
were  a  capital  part  of  the  programme.  It  was 
a  very  pleasant  finale  to  our  stay  here,  for  we 
hope  to  leave  to-morrow. 

January  '^Ith. — We  had  to  send  one  of  our 
crew  ashore  to  the  hospital,  with  fever,  and  it  is 
very  difficult  to  replace  him,  so  that  we  are 
detained  one  more  day  in  port. 

January  28th. — We  passed  the  Morro  Castle 
this  morning  with  a  fine  breeze,  close  hauled 
and  heading  for  the  Gulf  of  Florida ;  we  can 
almost  lay  our  course,  though  the  sea  is  heavy. 
How  nice  it  is  to  be  at  sea  again,  and  getting 
towards  home  too. 


196  GULF  OF  FLORIDA. 

January  2dfh. — About  dawn  we  sighted  tlie 
light  on  the  Double  Ileadshot  Keys,  on  Ba- 
liamas  Banks,  and  stood  on  all  da}'  witli  a  fair 
wind,  bnt  a  "high  norther"  has  been  long  ex- 
pected, and  the  weather  has  given  every  warn- 
ing of  its  approach.  A  nice  time  we  shall 
have  if  it  catches  us  in  this  narrow  gulf.  Vivid 
lightning  in  the  N.  W.  this  evening  is  looked 
upon  as  the  immediate  precursor  of  our  ex- 
pected visitor,  and  we  make  everything  as 
snug  as  possible.  One  of  the  advantages  of 
sea  travel  over  locomotion  on  land,  is  the  joy 
of  anticipation. 

January  ZOth. — We  had  a  lively  shaking  up 
last  night,  but  we  have  run  far  enough^  to  the 
north,  not  only  to  escape  the  force  of  the 
norther,  but  to  drop  into  a  calm,  and  the  sun 
shines  out  as  bright  as  usual. 

January  ^Ist. — Last  night  heavy  squalls 
ushered  in  a  strong  breeze  from  S.W.,  which 
soon  ripened  into  a  gale  of  wind,  and  made  us 
shorten  sail  down  to  a  reefed  trysail,  close 
reefed  foresail,  and  bonnet  off  staysail.     It  has 


HEAVr  WEATHER.  197 

caught  us  in  the  Gulf  stream,  and  in  conse- 
quence has  knocked  up  a  most  awful  sea,  which 
breaks  all  over  us,  and  we  are  battened  down 
unpleasantly  in  the  cabin,  without  the  slightest 
hope  of  keeping  our  feet.  It  rains  too,  violently 
and  incessantlv,  and  the  sea  seems  prettinoc  worse 
every  minute.  I  don't  believe  even  Mark  Tap- 
ley  could  have  extracted  any  jolliness  from  the 
situation. 

Towards  eveninoj  the  wind  hauled  to  the 
northward,  and  the  consoling  opinion  is  that  it 
will  be  worse  before  it  is  any  better.  AVe  are 
hove-to,  and  there  is  nothing  to  do  but  to  pos- 
sess our  souls  w^ith  patience,  hear  the  wind 
howling,  and  ride  it  out. 

After  three  months  of  invariable  sunshine 
and  heat,  it  is  an  absolute  phenomenon  to  wit- 
ness a  wdiole  day  of  dark,  ragged,  rolling,  oily- 
looking  clouds,  without  a  patch  of  blue  sky,  or 
any  evidence  that  the  sun  ever  existed,  and  to 
experience  a  cold  that  shivers  the  marrow  of 
one's  bones.  And  this,  then,  is  what  we  used 
to  long  for  in  Trinidad  I 

C upset  the  salt  cellar !   Absit  omen ! 


198  A  SCANDALOUS  SEA 

Fehruary  \st.  —  The  sun  broke  pai'tly 
tlirough  the  clouds  this  morning  and  his  rays 
diffused  a  little  comfort  upon  things,  although 
it  has  been  blowing  hard  all  m'ght  and  keeps 
on  doing  so  and  more  also.  Tlie  N.W.  wind 
makes  it  very  cold,  and  the  China-blue  sea  is 
all  confused  and  heaving  about  like  extremely 
agile  haystacks.  We  are  still  hove-to,  and  it 
looks  as  if  a  lunir  future  of  hove-to  were  await- 


At  4  r.^r.  the  ^ea  and  the  wind  had  both 
abated  a  little  so  tliat  we  could  get  some  sail 
on  her,  and  head  out  of  the  execrable  Gulf 
stream,  for  which,  as  the  mate  truly  j)uts  it, 
"  we've  got  no  kind  of  use,"  and  by  dark  we 
clear  its  well-delined  boundaries  to  the  west- 
ward, and  find  ourselves,  almost  by  enchant- 
ment, free  from  the  vile  jumping  and  tumbling 
that  made  life  a  burden  of  holding  on,  and  be- 
ing bruised.  The  sea  is  comparatively  com- 
fortable and  grows  quieter  every  moment,  so 
we  joyfully  shake  out  reefs,  and  although  the 
wind  is  ahead,  this  is  a  minor  evil,  and  enjoy- 
ment and  content  once  more  become  our 
guests. 


ROLLING  HOME.  199 

I  must  here  record  tlie  admirable  qualities 
and  beliavior  of  the  "Josephine,"  under  the 
quite  tryini^  conditions  to  which  she  was  sub- 
jected. While  we  rolled  gunwale  under  on 
each  side,  we  dipped  up  comparatively  little 
water,  took  very  few  seas  over  the  bows,  and 
only  one  of  any  importance  into  the  cockpit ; 
and  after  every  roll,  pitch  and  dive  in  the 
"  scandalous  "  sea  that  was  rmining  and  heaping 
together  from  every  quarter  of  the  compass, 
she  would  rise  and  give  a  buoyant  little  shake, 
like  a  fish-hawk  after  a  dive  for  a  mullet.  We 
did  not  carry  anything  away,  or  part  even  the 
strand  of  a  rope  ! 

February  ^Id. — The  sun  rose  brightly  and 
warmly,  with  a  light  fair  breeze  and  smooth 
sea,  but  in  the  afternoon  a  heavy  sea  rolled  in 
and  destroyed  the  harmony  of  things  a  good 
deal. 

February  Sd. — Last  night  was  a  beastly  night. 
The  "  all-fired  "  sea,  as  the  mate  called  it,  rolled 
us  about  and  shook  the  rigging  so  much,  that 
although  a  good  breeze  was  blowing,  we  tore  the 


200  CHARLESTON. 


mainsail  from  the  gaff,  split  tlie  foresail  and 
chafed  a  hole  in  the  fore  staysail.  The  rain  is 
incessant,  the  sky  lowering  with  ragged  oily 
clouds,  the  sea  brutal  and  everything  is  unlove- 
ly. We  are  scudding  before  a  gale  of  wind, 
fortunately  fair,  under  close  reefs,  through  dirty 
green  waves,  as  we  are  near  the  shore  and  about 
thirty  miles  from  Charleston. 

About  noon  we  sighted  the  light-ship  on 
Rattlesnake  Shoals,  and  hauled  our  wind  to  beat 
up  to  the  harbor,  setting  signal  for  a  pilot,  but 
it  was  blowing  so  hard  that  it  looked  as  if  we 
would  have  to  remain  at  sea  all  night — not  a 
cheerful  prospect,  with  a  rapidly  falling  barome- 
ter, and  awfully  cold  weather.  It  is  always  the 
revocare  gradum  that  is  the  labor  and  the  sor- 
row, and  the  cold  outs  like  a  sword  on  our  sun- 
burned and  unaccustomed  skins. 

At  last  we  see  a  little  pilot-schooner  bearing 
down  to  us,  and  were  not  sorry  to  see  her  boat 
launched,  and  the  welcome  that  pilot  received 
was  supernaturally  warm.  We  did  not  get  up 
to  the  city  till  after  dark  though,  as  the 
weather  set  in  very  thick — but  then — a  quiet 
niirlit! 


IN  THE  HARBOR.  201 

February  4:th. — How  pleasant,  to  be  snugly 
at  anchor  here,  and  listen  to  the  horrid  wea- 
ther wreaking  its  vengeance  outside. 

"  A  stiff  nor  westerns  blowin',  Bill ;  oh,  don't  you  hear 
it  roar  now." 

A  dull,  leaden,  gloomy  sky,  and  the  ther- 
mometer at  42°  are  not  pleasant  accompani- 
ments, and  they  admonish  us  to  make  every- 
thing as  comfortable  as  possible  for  the  ending 
to  our  cruise,  which  cannot  fail  to  be  as  cold 
and  disagreeable  as  the  beginning  of  it  has 
been  delightful.  So  we  put  up  a  stove  in  the 
cabin,  to  the  great  joy  of  the  two  polly  parrots, 
who,  for  the  last  day  or  two,  have  been  sliiver- 
ing  on  their  perches,  and  who  at  once  begin 
uttering  improper  things  in  Spanish. 

February  8th. — There  is  no  need  to  describe 
Charleston.  Almost  ewery  body  knows  all  about 
it. 

L was  stationed  here  in  the  blockading 

squadron  during  the  war,  and  it  is  full  of  remi- 
niscences for  him.  I  am  very  glad  to  see  it 
for  the  first  time,  although  so  evidently  fallen 


202  A  SHOOTING  SCRAPE. 

from  its  high  estate.  The  destruction  of  war 
is  still  traced  in  the  many  dilapidated  buildings 
within  the  city,  which  has  never  recovered  from 
its  terrible  effects.  But  whatever  else  it  may 
have  lost,  the  hospitality  for  which  its  citizens 
ai-e  renowned,  still  flourishes  in  full  force  ;  we 
certainly  were  charmingly  received,  and  dined 
and  wined  "  promiscuous."  I  shall  never  forget 
a  day's  shooting  that  we  had  at  John's  Island, 
nor  the  depth  of  the  river  mud.  Tired  from 
a  long  day's  tramp,  I  arrived  at  the  water  side  to 
And  the  boat  far  below  me,  and  between  us  was 
stretched  a  smooth,  jellyish,  treacherous  plain 
of  the  most  liquid  and  odoriferous  slime,  which 
had  to  be  traversed.  While  shuddering  on  the 
brink,  I  was  accosted  by  a  nigger  boy,  who 
agreed  for  the  consideration  of  ''  two  bits  "  to 
carry  me  in  safety  on  his  back.  In  trepidation, 
mingled  with  a  gentle  hope,  I  mounted  my 
sable  steed,  whose  ivories  showed  from  ear  to 
ear  as  he  took  his  first  cautious  step ;  lower  and 
lower  he  sank  at  each  advance,  till  on  reaching 
the  deepest  and  blackest  part,  he  slipped  and 
over  I  went  on  my  back  !  What  shrieks !  what 
yells  of  delight !    arose  from   the  tug  moored 


AWAT  AGAIN.  203 


safely  out  in  the  river !  my  own  pickle  1  leave 
entirely  to  the  imagination,  no  words  can  de- 
scribe it. 

At  length  to-day  our  delightful  visit  comes 
to  an  end,  and  with  the  morning  tide  and  a 
fair  breeze  we  leave  the  jolly  South  Caro- 
linians. 

February  ^th. — We  had  a  very  strong  wester- 
ly breeze  last  night,  and  we  are  now  enjoying  a 
gale,  cheerless,  cold  and  revolting,  with  the 
usual  accompaniment  of  a  heavy  rough  sea. 

February  10th. — A  beastly,  stormy,  tossy 
night,  so  vile  that  as  the  wind  is  getting  round 
to  the  east  with  every  prospect  of  a  gale  from 
the  IST.E.  we  decide  to  run  for  Beaufort  har- 
bor for  shelter ;  the  cold  was  intense  last  night, 
and  the  decks  and  rigging  are  covered  with  ice, 
and  the  prospect  of  quiet  anchorage  under  a 
lee  is  full  of  charms. 

We  reached  the  entrance  to  the  harbor  about 
2  o'clock,  and  setting  signal  for  a  pilot,  stood 
off  and  on,  outside  the  foaming  bar,  but  as  no 
pilot    answered    our   signal,  at   dark   we   are 


204  ON  A  LEE  SHORE. 

obliged   to  anchor  for  the  night,  but  we   are 
dose  in  shore  and  the  water  is  smooth. 

February  Wtlu — Our  anchorage  outside  the 
bar  under  the  land  as  a  shelter  from  tlie  expect- 
ed northeaster,  very  nearly  proved  our  destruc- 
tion. About  midnight  the  weather  changed, 
and  the  wind  came  on  to  blow  a  gale  from  the 
southeast,  bringing  us  close  on  a  lee  shore  and 
only  a  very  little  outside  the  breakers,  with  one  of 
the  crew  sick  and  another  totally  useless.  "We 
got  all  sail  on  her  as  rapidly  as  possible  in  hopes 
of  "  clawing  off,"  but  it  soon  became  evident 
that  we  could  not  heave  in  one  link  of  her  cable, 
and  that  if  we  slipped  it  we  could  never  wea- 
ther the  fierce  breakers  on  the  bar.  Meanwhile 
the  whole  sweep  of  the  Atlantic  was  getting  up  a 
tremendous  sea,  and  there  was  nothing  left  for  us 
but  to  pay  out  sixty  fathoms  on  the  starboard 
anchor,  which  we  did,  also  dropping  the  port 
anchor  with  forty-five  fathoms,  and  then  sat 
down  to  ride  it  out.  All  the  remainder  of  the 
darkness,  the  fury  and  wrath  of  the  gale  in- 
creased, and  the  gallant  little  schooner  was 
wildly  plunging  and  tearing   at  her  anchors^ 


DRAG G mo  ANCHORS.  205 


while  the  rolling  and  tossing  was  tremen- 
dous. 

When  daylight  broke,  I  never  saw  a  wilder 
scene — the  savage,  frothing  green  seas  came 
rolling  past  us,  and  breaking  in  thunder  and 
foam  just  astern  of  us,  sometimes  very  close 
alongside  too,  went  tearing  up  on  the  beach, 
which,  close  as  it  was  to  us,  was  entirely  con- 
cealed by  the  foam  and  misty  spray — the  scream- 
ing of  the  wind,  and  the  wild  roar  of  the  waters 
were  incessant  and  really  awful,  especially 
under  the  dead,  leaden  sky  which  I  fancied  I 
could  almost  touch — and  we  had  to  endure  all 
this,  because  the  pilot  yesterday  did  not  choose 
to  respond  to  our  signal ! 

About  mid-day  we  had  a  bad  scare;  the 
wind,  without  abating,  had  begun  to  veer  by  the 
southw^ard,  and  the  breakers  were  so  close  to 
us  that  it  was  evident  the  anchors  had  dragged — 
settled  the  mate  called  it.  This  meant  going 
ashore  and  a  swim  for  it,  besides  leaving  the 
bones  of  the  little  darling  on  this  inhospitable 
shore.  We  found  on  examination  that  the 
cables  had  fouled,  and  this  made  things  look 
quite  grim.     We  got  the  trysail  on  her,  which 


206  SMOOTH  WEATHER. 

eased  her  somewhat,  l)nt  in  the  midst  of  our 
anxiety  a  furious  squall  came  up  from  the 
westward,  accompanied  by  a  tremendous  fall 
of  douches,  a  sort  of  giant  rain,  and  this,  veer- 
ing the  wind  to  the  N.W.,  brouglit  it  right  off 
shore  to  our  great  relief  and  joy.  The  barom- 
eter began  to  rise,  so  did  our  spirits,  and 
though  it  blew  as  hard  as  evei*,  and  we  tumbled 
about  fearfully,  it  was  all  right  and  we  could 
turn  in  comfortably. 

February  l^th. — Though  the  swell  is  still 
considerable,  the  N.W.  wind  has  knocked  down 
the  sea  and  the  sun  rises  clear  and  fresh,  while 
the  cruel  beach  to  which  we  were  so  perilously 
near  yesterday,  lies  quietly  basking  like  the 
crocodile  in  "  Alice," 

"  Who  welcomes  little  fishes  in 
With  gently  smiling  jaws," 

and  the  wavelets  ripple  on  it  as  if  they  were 
the  most  innocent  little  frisking  things,  with  no 
thought  of  evil.  With  some  trouble  we  got  in 
the  anchors,  and  again  hoist  signals  for  the 
tardy  pilot,  w^ho  comes  off  in  a  row  boat  just 
as  we  are  about  to  stand  out  to  sea  and  desert 


BEAUFORT,  N.   C.  207 

the  unfriendly  place.  A  schooner  with  her 
sails  all  split  to  pieces  passes  in  ahead  of  us, 
and  about  noon  we  drop  anchor  in  smooth  water. 

The  town  of  Beaufort  is  a  miserable,  shiftless 
looking  place,  with  many  signs  of  great  poverty 
and  some  of  unrequited  labor :  the  shop-keepers 
louno^e  at  the  street  corners,  and  rush  into  their 
stores  at  sight  of  an  infrequent  customer.  The 
most  comfortable  looking  and  neatest  cottages 
belong  to  colored  people,  and  they  seem  to  pos- 
sess all  the  energy  and  most  of  the  intelligence, 
although  involuntary  effects  of  the  old  slavery 
times  still  hang  about  them.  I  was  much 
struck  by  the  appearance  of  a  district  school, 
and  the  brio-htness  as  well  as  the  neat  cleanli- 
ness  of  the  small  colored  scholars.  On  the 
other  hand  I  was  highly  amused  by  a  visit  to 
tlie  Court  House,  where  a  nigger  was  being 
tried  for  burglary  accompanied  with  fracture 
of  most  of  the  Commandments.  The  judge, 
the  jury,  the  counsel  and  all  the  spectators, 
were  industriously  using  tobacco  in  its  most 
unpleasant  form,  and  I  had  no  inclination  to 
linger  for  the  conclusion  of  the  trial. 

We  miderwent,  ourselves,  a  most  rigid  ex- 


208  END   OF  THE  CRUISE. 

amination  from  the  Collector  of  the  Port,  but  we 
were  innocent  of  cigars  or  any  form  of  smuggling. 

Fehruavy  ISt/i. — Short-handed  as  we  are,  the 
remainder  of  the  crew  have  made  a  protest 
against  proceeding  farther  north,  without  ad- 
tional  hands.  In  vain  have  we  tried  to  procure 
any ;  not  a  man,  colored  or  white,  is  willing  to 
ship  for  the  short  trip  round  Ilatteras.     It  is  a 

great  disappointment  to  L ,  who  was  very 

anxious  to  return  to  the  port  we  left,  and  com- 
plete the  round  cruise.  But  he  yields  to  circum- 
stances, and  has  determined  to  lay  the  "Joseph- 
ine "  up  for  the  rest  of  the  winter  here,  so  that 
we  shall  proceed  home  by  land. 

It  is  a  ver}^  serious  moment,  this  ending  of  a 
cruise  which  has  now  lasted  over  three  delight- 
ful months,  and  has  been  one  of  great  enjoyment, 
iniinite  variety  and  unvaried  good  feeling.  We 
part  from  the  dear  little  schooner  that  has  car- 
ried us  so  long  and  so  well  with  deejjer  feelings, 
I  think,  than  any  of  us  care  to  show,  soon  to  be 
scattered  again  in  our  different  avocations  of 
pleasure  or  business. 

As  we  stand  upon  the  shore,  in  the  cold  gray 


FAREWELL. 


209 


of  the  morning,  and  tnrn  to  take  one  last  look 
at  the  poor  little  darling,  sitting  so  gracefully 
on  the  smooth  dark  water,  it  is  like  leaving 
home.  And  I  think  of  Dante's  beauteous  lines 
with  their  almost  passionate  repetition,  the  ten- 
der expression  of  lingering,  back-looking  regret — 

"  Senza  piu  aspettar  lasciai  la  riva 
Prendendo  la  campagna — lento  lento  !  " 


Finis. 


M.   M.M.XJ      M-l  M.  MJ  X-\U^.JL-^  . 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

Santa  Barbara 
Golcta,  California 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  D^ 
STAMPED  BELOW. 


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